The S&P 500 is a popular market index. View its historical performance throughout the years and learn more about the factors that affect its average return.

Marshall Hargrave is a stock analyst and writer with 10+ years of experience covering stocks and markets, as well as analyzing and valuing companies. Dr. JeFreda R. Brown is a financial consultant, ...

Since 1957, the S&P 500 has delivered an average annual return of 10.56%, but when adjusted for inflation, the real return is 6.69%. When people talk about "the market," they're often referring to the ...