In 1976, Ronald Wayne sold a 10% stake in Apple for $800. Today, the tech giant has a market cap of $2 trillion. If Ronald had kept his stake, it would be worth a cool $2 trillion today.
For the two remaining co-founders who bought him out, that $800 was worth $177.8 million when the company went public just four years later; a 22,224,900% return.
What would you do with a time machine?
Ever wondered how your investment decisions might have played out if you’d invested at a different time, held a position longer or made other choices? Here’s your chance to find out!
How to use the Time Machine
Step back in time with eToro’s Investment Time Machine, and discover what a $1000 stock investment then could be worth now.
- Select the first stock for your portfolio. Programme the time machine with the investment date you want to travel back to.
- Use the slider to select how much of your $1000 investment sum to allocate. If you have remaining capital, choose additional stocks to allocate it to.
- Travel back in time!
- Click on each stock to see how it performed. Share your result to your social channels and discover what date your friends and family would travel back to.
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results
Investing in the brands you love
Cases like Apple are the exception, rather than the rule. In its early days, most of us would have needed a crystal ball to invest with any conviction in what was then the underdog of a very young industry. At that point, a smartphone was something that belonged in Star Trek, not Starbucks.
But you don’t need a crystal ball (or a time machine) to meet your investment goals. A great investment strategy for the average investor will always be to focus on the companies you know, and think will have long-term success. We now have greater access to the financial markets than ever before. We may not be able to spot the next Apple, but we know the brands we value and engage with on a daily basis, and it’s never been easier to invest in them.
Time Machine Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the time machine in US dollars, and not my local currency?
I selected a date to travel back to, but all I see is an error message ‘'You're too early! No data exists at this date, please try a later date.'
I can’t find the stock I want, why is it not included in the Time Machine?
Can I select less than four stocks?