What if you'd held BP?
A $1,000 investment in BP p.l.c. (BP) at the month-end close of 1962-01 would be worth $1M at the close of 2026-08 — +100198.2% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $111,969.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1962
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | $1,000 | — |
| 1963 | $1,494 | +49.4% |
| 1964 | $2,203 | +47.4% |
| 1965 | $3,069 | +39.3% |
| 1966 | $3,286 | +7.1% |
| 1967 | $3,894 | +18.5% |
| 1968 | $4,109 | +5.5% |
| 1969 | $4,903 | +19.3% |
| 1970 | $4,684 | -4.5% |
| 1971 | $5,132 | +9.6% |
| 1972 | $5,988 | +16.7% |
| 1973 | $10,224 | +70.7% |
| 1974 | $8,164 | -20.1% |
| 1975 | $9,536 | +16.8% |
| 1976 | $10,873 | +14.0% |
| 1977 | $10,210 | -6.1% |
| 1978 | $12,540 | +22.8% |
| 1979 | $26,596 | +112.1% |
| 1980 | $44,577 | +67.6% |
| 1981 | $26,866 | -39.7% |
| 1982 | $24,891 | -7.3% |
| 1983 | $33,067 | +32.8% |
| 1984 | $32,901 | -0.5% |
| 1985 | $41,462 | +26.0% |
| 1986 | $43,575 | +5.1% |
| 1987 | $52,517 | +20.5% |
| 1988 | $53,559 | +2.0% |
| 1989 | $70,473 | +31.6% |
| 1990 | $87,587 | +24.3% |
| 1991 | $79,416 | -9.3% |
| 1992 | $59,196 | -25.5% |
| 1993 | $85,612 | +44.6% |
| 1994 | $110,090 | +28.6% |
| 1995 | $145,903 | +32.5% |
| 1996 | $209,120 | +43.3% |
| 1997 | $244,016 | +16.7% |
| 1998 | $287,166 | +17.7% |
| 1999 | $384,591 | +33.9% |
| 2000 | $318,783 | -17.1% |
| 2001 | $318,557 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | $288,127 | -9.6% |
| 2003 | $364,136 | +26.4% |
| 2004 | $444,880 | +22.2% |
| 2005 | $505,270 | +13.6% |
| 2006 | $545,492 | +8.0% |
| 2007 | $617,206 | +13.1% |
| 2008 | $416,697 | -32.5% |
| 2009 | $553,543 | +32.8% |
| 2010 | $428,199 | -22.6% |
| 2011 | $430,363 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | $439,155 | +2.0% |
| 2013 | $538,982 | +22.7% |
| 2014 | $444,312 | -17.6% |
| 2015 | $387,455 | -12.8% |
| 2016 | $499,612 | +28.9% |
| 2017 | $599,958 | +20.1% |
| 2018 | $572,540 | -4.6% |
| 2019 | $605,921 | +5.8% |
| 2020 | $355,614 | -41.3% |
| 2021 | $484,991 | +36.4% |
| 2022 | $664,469 | +37.0% |
| 2023 | $704,342 | +6.0% |
| 2024 | $620,956 | -11.8% |
| 2025 | $773,358 | +24.5% |
| 2026 | $1.01M | +30.6% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought BP was 1962-06 ($0.04): $1,000 then is $1.09M today. The worst was 2026-04 ($46.28): $1,000 then is $945.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in BP be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in BP p.l.c. (BP) at the start of 1962 would be worth about $1M today, a total return of +100198.2%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for BP?
BP p.l.c. (BP)'s strongest calendar year since 1962 was 1979, a +112.1% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,121 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2020, at -41.3%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in BP have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1962-01 would have grown to about $6.77M on $77,600 invested.
Did BP beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $111,969. BP beat the S&P 500 by +795.8% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
BP p.l.c. (BP) historical total-return data from 1962-01 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.