How to graph your stock project performance vs. the 3 major indexes

Go to your performance history and copy all of your data from the day you began the competition to April 29.

Paste data into google sheet or excel page… You may have to use paste “special” & choose “values only” if you use Google sheets as it sometimes malfunctions

Remove all columns except the date & account value columns on the spreadsheet and then open the document on my website called “index values for line graph” Cut and paste these columns into the spreadsheet that you have created…

Delete cells from your “date” & “Account value” columns that don’t match up with dates in the columns for Dow, S & P, & Nasdaq. Once all the dates match up across the rows then remove the Date column between Account Value and Dow close.

Insert 3 columns in between your account value and dow close – label the columns as shown to the left … Next, scroll to the bottom of the table of numbers & determine how many “shares” of each index you could have purchased on day 1 by dividing each index closing value on the day you started the project by the closing value you had on the first day of your project. (see formula in figure below)

Type the formula into the box at the bottom of the “Dow Value” column as seen to the left and hit “enter”. This will set up the ability to figure out how much money you would have on each day of the project if you invested all your money into the dow… Repeat this process for the other indexes– as seen in the figure to the left. If you have done it right you should have the bottom cells = in value to your value – in this case $100,000

In order to copy this formula into all the empty cells above it, you simply run your cursor over the bottom right corner of the cell and left click + hold. Drag your cursor “up the page” highlighting all the cells above it until you reach the top of the page. Repeat this process until all the empty columns are full of data (supported by the formula and original values of the Dow, S & P & NASDAQ). If done correctly … It should look like this (see below)

Now click on the upper right box labeled “date” and hold down the left click button – drag cursor to cover ONLY the data & column headers for the columns shown. DO NOT highlight the dow close or other columns to the right of Nasdaq value. DO NOT highlight EMPTY cells. Release left click button when all is highlighted and then click on “Insert” and then click on the pic of the line graph.

After you click on the line graph icon, you click on the graph shape you prefer. A graph should appear that looks like the one you see to the left. Now, you need to click on the “move chart location” icon and it will create an independent sheet for the line graph. Click on OK…

Your final graph should look a lot like this but you will then want to put on a label and “dress it up” as you see fit. Don’t forget to print out the graph and the spreadsheet. On 2 separate pages!