S&P 500 ETF (SPY) Up 1.85% Year-To-Date

The S&P 500 is what many consider to be the broad stock market, as it encompasses more names than the Dow, which only includes 30 stocks.  IF you follow this blog, you know that I use the Wilshire 5000 to track the broad market, as it includes even more names than the S&P, and I believe provides a better picture of the market as a whole. 

The ETF that tracks the S&P 500, ticker SPY, closed today at $112.97.  The index closed on December 31, 2009 at a price of $111.44, for a price appreciation of 1.37%.  However, if you follow this blog, you know that I believe in the reinvestment of dividends.  The SPY paid a dividend of $.531 on June 18th of this year, and usually pays a dividend four times a year.  Therefore, with the inclusion of the reinvestment of said dividend, you would have picked up a fractional share on June 18th at a price of $111.73.  All told, with the reinvestment of the dividend, the broad market has returned about 1.85% thus far this year.