This statistic presents the performance of different asset classes by decade from 1950 to 2019. In the first 8 years of this decade, U.S. large cap equities have earned a 14.3 percent return, making it the most profitable investment class in the 2010s.
Performance of different asset classes by decade from 1950s to 2010s
Characteristic
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s*
U.S. small & mid caps
16.9%
15.5%
11.5%
15.8%
11.6%
2.2%
12.8%
U.S. large cap equities
19.3%
7.8%
5.8%
17.5%
18.2%
-0.9%
14.3%
World ex-U.S. equities
20.8%
5.1%
10.1%
22.8%
7.3%
1.6%
6.1%
Emg mkt sov fixed income
5.3%
3.5%
14.4%
6.4%
7.7%
12.9%
5.8%
US investment grade fixed income
0.4%
2.4%
6.1%
12.8%
8%
6.4%
3.5%
G7 sovereign fixed income
0.4%
2.4%
6.1%
12.8%
8%
6.4%
3.4%
Cash
2%
4.1%
6.5%
9.1%
5%
2.7%
0.3%
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Citibank. (January 17, 2019). Performance of different asset classes by decade from 1950s to 2010s [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 21, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/959991/performance-of-different-asset-classes-by-decade/
Citibank. "Performance of different asset classes by decade from 1950s to 2010s." Chart. January 17, 2019. Statista. Accessed February 21, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/959991/performance-of-different-asset-classes-by-decade/
Citibank. (2019). Performance of different asset classes by decade from 1950s to 2010s. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 21, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/959991/performance-of-different-asset-classes-by-decade/
Citibank. "Performance of Different Asset Classes by Decade from 1950s to 2010s." Statista, Statista Inc., 17 Jan 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/959991/performance-of-different-asset-classes-by-decade/
Citibank, Performance of different asset classes by decade from 1950s to 2010s Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/959991/performance-of-different-asset-classes-by-decade/ (last visited February 21, 2025)
Performance of different asset classes by decade from 1950s to 2010s [Graph], Citibank, January 17, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/959991/performance-of-different-asset-classes-by-decade/
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