The Bureau of Historic Losses · Counterfactual Division
What if you'd bought Wesfarmers in 2008?
Wesfarmers had just swallowed Coles in an $19-billion-plus deal and then walked straight into the GFC with the debt still warm. The conglomerate that owned Bunnings, Kmart, coal and chemicals was suddenly the market's favourite thing to worry about.
$100 on 2008-01-01, worth today
A$935
As of 2026-06-12, $100 of Wesfarmers bought at 2008's open (A$9.24) is worth A$935 — 9.35×.
total return · dividends reinvested · AUD
How much would $100 of Wesfarmers bought in 2008 be worth today?
| You'd have put in | You'd have now | Multiple |
|---|---|---|
| A$100 | A$935 | 9.35× |
| A$1,000 | A$9,354 | 9.35× |
| A$10,000 | A$93,543 | 9.35× |
Lump sum on the year's first trading day, total return (dividends reinvested, splits adjusted), valued at the latest close. Past performance isn't a promise — it's a taunt.
What did Wesfarmers do in 2008?
Opened
A$9.24
2008-01-01
Peaked
A$9.51
2008-05-16
Bottomed
A$3.87
2008-12-11
Closed
A$4.54
2008-12-30
Levels are dividend-adjusted, so historical figures look lower than the headline price of the day — that's the total-return lens, and it's the honest one.
Would steady buying have beaten going all in?
A$96,300 deployed as $100 a week from 2008-01-01, under four temperaments — same money, different nerves.
| All in on day one | A$900,817 |
| Steady weekly buys | A$498,199 |
| Sold dips, rebought rallies | A$407,030 |
| Traded it perfectly | A$597,984 |
“Traded it perfectly” requires knowing the future. Nobody knew the future.
The same $1,000, elsewhere
$1,000 at 2008's open, each valued at the latest close. Hindsight remains undefeated.
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