Volatility is no fun if you’re a stock market investor — and there’s been plenty of that so far in 2025. But it’s important to keep in mind that stocks in general have always produced strong returns over time.
The S&P 500 has risen by about 91% over the past five years alone, despite major headwinds ranging from COVID-19 and soaring inflation to President Donald Trump’s current tariff threats. The Dow is up about 62% over the same time frame, while the Nasdaq has roughly doubled in value.
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Those are all very good returns, but they pale in comparison to the best performing stocks. If you were fortunate enough to invest in one of those , you would have seen your money rise more than 10-fold in the last half-decade.
Why Have These Stocks Performed So Well?
One reason some of the best performers rose so fast is that they traded at very low values five years ago — in some cases around $1 a share. Any spike in value would represent a major percentage gain.
An example is GameStop , the gaming and entertainment company whose stock could be purchased for a little more than $1 a share in June 2020. GameStop grabbed headlines in early 2021 when professional investors shorted the stock, figuring it would go down in value. But as EBSCO noted at the time, a “wave” of amateur investors started buying up shares and helped the stock soar by more than 1,500% in a matter of weeks.
Today, GameStop trades for around $30 a share. If you had invested $100 in the company in early June of 2020, your investment would now be worth more than $2,500.
Here’s a look at the massive returns you would have gotten by investing in 10 of the top performing stocks over the past five years. Each has risen by at least 1,000% and boasts a current price of roughly $30 a share or more.
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Limbach Holdings (LMB)
Innodata Inc. (INOD)
Strategy Incorporated (MSTR)
GameStop (GME)
Danaos Corporation (DAC)
Sterling Infrastructure (STRL)
Celestica Inc. (CLS)
Modine Manufacturing (MOD)
Build-A-Bear Workshop (BBW)
FTAI Aviation (FTAI)
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : See the Incredible Returns If You Invested in 10 of the Top Performing Stocks Over the Last 5 Years (Including GameStop)