U.S. stocks have delivered 8.7% a year since independence was declared in 1776 - MarketWatch
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- U.S. stocks have delivered an annualized return of 8.7% since independence was declared in 1776, according to MarketWatch's headline finding
- The Economist, the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and McKinsey & Company are running companion pieces on America's economic position, with titles ranging from 'mighty—but becoming less dominant' to 'America powered to compete' and 'America's future in the post-American world economy'
Why it matters: The 8.7% annualized return stretches across nearly 250 years of U.S. history, giving investors a benchmark for American exceptionalism even as companion coverage from The Economist and the Peterson Institute explicitly frames the next chapter as one where U.S. dominance is no longer assumed.
