Top Stocks That Skyrocketed Since the Dotcom Crash: What You Should Have Bought 25 Years Ago

Colin serves as an Associate Editor specializing in technology and financial markets, bringing over three years of expertise in editing, fact-checking, and analyzing current financial and political developments. He holds an M.A. in journalism from The New School and a B.A. in history and political science from McGill University.

Key Highlights

• Since the Dotcom Bubble burst 25 years ago, Monster Beverage has emerged as the top-performing stock in the Russell 1000 index.
• Tech giants Nvidia and Apple are among the rare technology stocks that have surged by more than 10,000% since March 2000.
• Energy sector stocks have been dominant performers since the Covid-19 market crash five years ago.

Marking a quarter-century since the Dotcom Bubble collapse, Bespoke Investment Group compiled a list showcasing the best-performing stocks over the last 25 years, revealing some truly remarkable gains.

More than half of the current Russell 1000 stocks existed 25 years ago, collectively achieving an average return exceeding 2,600% since the bubble’s peak.

Nearly 300 stocks have multiplied tenfold (1,000% gains), while 19 exceptional stocks have soared by 10,000% or more during this period.

The Unexpected Leader Outperforming Tech Titans

While technology companies dominate the market’s landscape today, the highest-performing stock since March 2000 is actually Monster Beverage (MNST), a leading energy drink producer.

Monster’s shares have skyrocketed by an astonishing 127,477%, dwarfing Nvidia’s impressive 66,004% gain. A $1,000 investment in Monster at the start of the millennium would now be worth over $1.27 million, compared to $661,000 from Nvidia.

Among tech stocks, only Nvidia and Apple (AAPL) have achieved 100-bagger status, partly because key tech giants like Meta, Alphabet, and Tesla went public after 2000. Since their IPOs, these companies have still delivered substantial returns of approximately 1,300%, 6,800%, and 22,000%, respectively.

The top five 100-baggers also include Texas Pacific Land (TPL), Deckers Outdoor (DECK), and Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL), with $1,000 investments growing to roughly $626,000, $530,000, and $305,000 respectively.

Other notable 100-baggers are Tractor Supply Co. (TSCO), O’Reilly Automotive (ORLY), and Autozone (AZO). Among tech stocks, Fair Isaac (FICO) and ANSYS (ANSS) join Nvidia and Apple in this elite group.

Leading Stocks Since the Covid-19 Market Bottom

In addition to commemorating the Dotcom anniversary, March 2025 marks five years since the Covid-19 market crash bottomed on March 23, 2020. Since then, energy stocks have dominated the Russell 1000’s top performers, occupying four of the top five spots.

The only non-energy stock in the top five is MicroStrategy (MSTR), a proxy for Bitcoin exposure. Other standout performers over the past five years include meme favorite GameStop (GME), which surged about 2,500%, and AI-related stocks Super Micro Computer (SMCI) and Vistra (VST), which rose approximately 2,400% and 1,000%, respectively.

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