[hogFeast]

And Microsoft multiplied their profits a few times between 2000 and 2010 while their stock dropped 75%.

Valuations are important. Valuations are affected by the monetary policy/liquidity cycle. And Google's valuation is growing faster than any rational measure of economic value.

[nightski]

No, it dropped 75% in 2000 due to the dot-com bubble. If you started in 2001 you actually had a 60% gain by 2010.

[hogFeast]

January 2000 - $60 January 2010 - $30

I did just eyeball it from a few months before. And note, I said 2000...not 2001. And even at the end of 2001, it did nothing for a decade plus.

[nightski]

Stocks split. You can't just look at price. They also pay dividends.

[hogFeast]

What? Any price history you look at is going to be split-adjusted. And okay, you got a $1 of dividends...you only lost $29/share out of the $60 you invested.