$1,000 in Chainlink in 2019

A $1,000 investment in Chainlink (LINK) made in January 2019 would be worth about $30,639 as of May 2026 (latest complete month) — a ×31 return, or +59.5% per year. Adjusted for US inflation (CPI), that equals $23,169 in 2019 dollars. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested would have grown to $3,278.

In plain terms: after stripping out +32.2% US inflation since January 2019, today's $30,639 buys roughly what $23,169 bought back in 2019 — a ×23 gain in actual purchasing power.

Chainlink is the dominant oracle network, feeding real-world prices into DeFi protocols. LINK was one of the strongest altcoins of 2019–2021, but like most infrastructure tokens its price has chronically lagged the actual adoption of the technology it powers.

Data as of · updated weekly

Worth today
$30,639
×31 · +59.5%/yr
Inflation-adjusted
$23,169
in 2019 dollars
S&P 500 instead
$3,278
same period, dividends reinvested
Gold instead
$3,606
same period, futures price

The actual numbers: Chainlink since 2019

LINK price in January 2019$0.297
LINK price as of May 2026$9.09
Nominal return×31 (+59.5%/yr)
US CPI inflation since January 2019+32.2%
Real (inflation-adjusted) return×23 (+53.5%/yr)
Same money in the S&P 500$3,278

Methodology: start-of-month prices, one-time purchase, no fees or taxes assumed. Full methodology.

What happened in 2019

2019 was a half-recovery: Bitcoin tripled from $3,400 to nearly $14,000 by June, then faded into year-end, while most altcoins kept bleeding against BTC throughout.

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Year
Month
Worth today
$30,639
×31 · +59.5%/yr
Inflation-adjusted
$23,169
in 2019 dollars
S&P 500 instead
$3,278
dividends reinvested
Gold instead
$3,606
same period

Chainlink vs S&P 500 total return vs uninvested cash eroded by CPI. Monthly grid, start-of-month prices.

FAQ: Chainlink returns since 2019

How much would $1,000 invested in Chainlink in 2019 be worth today?

About $30,639 as of May 2026 — a ×31 return. Adjusted for inflation, that equals $23,169 in 2019 dollars. This assumes a one-time purchase in January 2019 at $0.297 and never selling.

What does “inflation-adjusted” mean here?

US consumer prices rose +32.2% between January 2019 and May 2026 (CPI). So $30,639 today buys roughly what $23,169 bought in 2019. We deflate by CPI to show the gain in actual purchasing power.

Did Chainlink beat the S&P 500 since 2019?

Yes. $1,000 in Chainlink grew to $30,639, versus $3,278 for the same money in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested over the same period.

What was the average annual return of Chainlink since 2019?

+59.5% per year nominal (CAGR over 7.3 years), or +53.5% per year after CPI inflation.

Where does the data come from?

Crypto prices: Coin Metrics community data and Binance public market data. S&P 500: total-return index (^SP500TR). Inflation: US CPI (CPIAUCSL) from FRED. All series use a monthly grid and refresh weekly.

Chainlink in other years

201720182019202020212022202320242025

Other assets in 2019

Bitcoin BTCEthereum ETHDogecoin DOGECardano ADAXRP XRPLitecoin LTCBNB BNBTRON TRX

Educational purposes only — not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Calculations assume a one-time purchase at the start-of-month price, no fees, no taxes and no selling.