The Stock Time Machine
Pick a stock, an amount and a date — see what that investment would be worth today, its CAGR, and how it compares against the NIFTY and a fixed deposit. Split- and bonus-adjusted.
Everyone has a version of the same story — the stock a relative mentioned at a wedding, the IPO you almost applied for, the share your father sold too early. The Time Machine answers the question those stories always end with: what would it actually be worth today?
Pick a stock, an amount and a starting month. The calculator uses split- and bonus-adjusted month-end prices, so a ₹10 share that became ten ₹1 shares is handled correctly — the naive method of dividing today's price by the old price gets exactly this wrong.
Every result comes with context: the same money in the NIFTY 50, and in a 7% fixed deposit. A stock that turned ₹1 lakh into ₹4 lakh sounds spectacular until you see the index did ₹3.5 lakh over the same stretch.
How the numbers are computed
Prices are month-end closes adjusted for splits, bonuses and dividends (via adjusted-price history), which is the only honest way to compute long-horizon returns. Your invested amount buys units at the starting month's adjusted close; today's value is those units at the latest adjusted close.
CAGR is the compound annual growth rate between the two dates. The NIFTY comparison applies identical math to the NIFTY 50 index, and the FD line compounds at a flat 7% a year — a reasonable long-run proxy for what a bank deposit paid.
History depth varies by stock — most large names go back 15-20+ years, recent listings only since their IPO. The picker only offers stocks with at least two years of usable history.
What the Time Machine teaches (besides regret)
Survivorship is real: the legendary what-if stories all pick winners after the fact. For every Titan there were dozens of 2010 favourites that went nowhere — a time machine only visits the survivors, which is exactly why the NIFTY comparison line matters.
Holding is the hard part. Every famous multi-bagger spent years being boring or terrifying along the way; the chart under your result shows the full path, drawdowns included, not just the endpoints.
Past returns are history, not prophecy — this is a toy for perspective (and family arguments), not a stock-selection tool.
Key takeaways
- Any NSE 500 / F&O stock, any amount, any starting month — instant answer.
- Split- and bonus-adjusted prices, so long-horizon numbers are actually correct.
- Every result benchmarked against the NIFTY 50 and a 7% FD over the same period.
- CAGR shown alongside the absolute number — the honest measure of a long hold.
- Free, no login; results are computed in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Are splits and bonuses handled?
Yes — the calculator uses adjusted price history, which restates old prices for every split, bonus and dividend. Comparing raw unadjusted prices across a split is the classic way these calculations go wrong, and it's exactly what this tool avoids.
How far back does the data go?
It varies by stock: most established large-caps have 15-20+ years of monthly history, while recent IPOs only have data since listing. The stock picker only offers names with at least two years of history.
Why compare against NIFTY and an FD?
Because 'my stock 5x-ed' means little without knowing what doing nothing (index fund) or taking no risk (fixed deposit) would have paid over the same years. The comparisons turn a fun number into an honest one.
Does it account for dividends?
Yes, through adjusted prices — the series assumes dividends were reinvested, which is the standard total-return convention for long-horizon comparisons.
Can I use this to pick stocks?
No — it computes what did happen, not what will. Past multi-baggers are visible only in hindsight (survivorship bias), which the page is careful to point out.