Some statistics regarding the recent performance of the S&P 500 Index (price only, ignoring dividends), as of 9/30/2010:
3rd Quarter 2010 return: 10.7%
2010 Year-to-date return: 2.3%
2010 High price to current price: -6.3% (2010 high was 1217.28 on 4/23/2010, current price is 1141.19 as of 9/30/2010)
2007 High to 2009 Low: -56.8% (high of 1565.15 on 10/9/07, low of 676.53 on 3/9/09)
2009 Low to 2010 Current: 68.7%
2007 High to 2010 Current: -27.1%
Source: Yahoo Finance
S&P 500 Index: The S & P 500 is market-value weighted index; each stock’s weight in the index is proportionate to its market value. The 500 stock are chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry grouping, among other factors. The S&P 500 is designed to be a leading indicator of U.S. equities and is being used as a proxy for the stock market.