VWCE: a lump sum beat spreading it out in 74% of start months since 2019

Every start month in the real price history of VWCE — 76 of them, from Jul 2019 to Sep 2025.

Data as of September 10, 2026

Your result

74%

of all 12-month windows since 2019, investing all at once finished ahead.

Median gap
+5.6%

Half of the 76 windows ended further ahead than this.

Worst for lump sum
-7.2%

Starting Dec 2021: €8,653 against €9,324.

Best for lump sum
+19.4%

Starting Oct 2020: €13,761 against €11,522.

Price return — no separate dividend record for this asset. Cash still waiting to be invested earns nothing. Prices to Sep 2026.

Every 12-month window, one bar each
Lump sum aheadSpreading ahead

Each bar is one start month: how much more, or less, the lump sum was worth at the end of its 12 months. Select a bar to draw that window below.

Lump-sum advantage by start year, over 12-month windows.
Start yearWindowsLump sum wonMedian gap
2019714%-0.9%
20201292%+12.2%
20211275%+3.7%
20221242%-1.5%
202312100%+8.0%
20241292%+4.9%
2025978%+8.7%
Starting Sep 2025, month by month
All at once12-month spreadMoney paid in

From Sep 2025 to Sep 2026: all at once ended at €12,016; the 12-month spread ended at €11,054.

Value month by month for the window starting Sep 2025.
MonthAll at once12-month spreadMoney paid in
Sep 2025€10,000€833€833
Oct 2025€10,436€1,703€1,667
Nov 2025€10,386€2,528€2,500
Dec 2025€10,427€3,372€3,333
Jan 2026€10,556€4,247€4,167
Feb 2026€10,743€5,155€5,000
Mar 2026€10,169€5,713€5,833
Apr 2026€11,040€7,035€6,667
May 2026€11,699€8,289€7,500
Jun 2026€11,847€9,227€8,333
Jul 2026€11,685€9,934€9,167
Aug 2026€11,950€10,993€10,000
Sep 2026€12,016€11,054€10,000

What the VWCE record actually says

Across 76 start months, a lump sum finished ahead 56 times and behind 20 times. The median gap was +5.6%: half of the 76 windows were wider than that, half narrower. The worst month to have gone all in was Dec 2021 (€8,653 against €9,324); the best was Oct 2020 (€13,761 against €11,522).

All of it computed from the same month-end closes the charts above draw — a description of what happened, not a forecast.

Change the amount or the spread

Open VWCE in the interactive backtest to try a different amount or a different number of months.

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About these VWCE numbers

This backtest shows what happened to a real price series and nothing more. It excludes trading costs, spreads, currency conversion and tax, assumes cash waiting to be invested earns nothing, and cannot tell you what the next window will do. It is information, not investment advice.

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