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The two stocks that contributed the most to 2019’s total stock-market returns also hold that position for the entire decade.
While it’s fun to look at how the overall composition of the top 10 contributors has changed — with a noticeable shift from the energy sector to finance, for example — it’s perhaps more interesting to note the enduring heft of Apple Inc. AAPL, +0.18% and Microsoft Corp. MSFT, -0.44% for investors, as the chart shows.
The two companies didn’t just dominate. They actually intensified their hold over the past decade, moving from a share of 8.45% of the total S&P 500 SPX, -0.12% return over the decade to 14.8% over the last 12 months through Dec. 27, according to data compiled by Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
As Barron’s noted, the two tech giants are the only companies with valuations of more than $1 trillion.
See: ‘Apple a value stock?’ The Great Rotation takes a strange spin
Rounding out the top 10 contributors to returns in 2009: Home Depot Inc. HD, -0.22%, Pfizer Inc. PFE, -0.06%, JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM, -0.04%, Chevron Corp. CVX, +0.25%, and Berkshire Hathaway Class B. BRK.B, -0.21% For the decade, this is rounded out by Mastercard Inc. MA, -0.34%, Visa Inc. V, -0.53%, Bank of America Corp. BAC, -0.36%, AT&T T, -0.29%, and Alphabet Inc. Class C GOOG, -0.13%.
And Apple and Microsoft weren’t the only stocks intensifying their hold over the market. The top 10 contributors made up about 19.6% of the total stock market return over the decade, but 29.5% over the past year.
See also: It’s hard for shoppers to avoid Amazon — even in their investments
