2019 was the fresh start investors were looking for after a brutal 2018. The previous year saw both the Dow and S&P 500 drop for the second time in the past 10 years. It was also the worst year for stocks as a whole since the market crash in 2008. 2019 was supposed to be the bounce back for stocks and the market as a whole. While this is indeed what happened, nobody could have predicted what was to come in society. Regardless, let’s look at what happened on Wall Street in 2019.

After a year where the Dow and S&P 500 each fell about 6%, they both had rises that could be called unbelievable. To start, the S&P 500 rose 28.9% in 2019, the biggest one-year gain since 2013. The Dow also rose 22.3% in 2019, one of the best years it’s ever had. The reason these two index trackers are used is because of the types of stocks they track. The S&P 500 tracks the 500 biggest stocks on the market, giving investors a clear picture of how the market is doing. It’s also not a shock it rose at all. Because the S&P tracks the 500 biggest stocks, it’s rare to have back-to-back down years. The Dow also is an index tracker that follows only 30 stocks, but it’s another great tool to use.

2019 was also considered to be a great time to join Wall Street, especially for companies that needed help raising investment funds. Going public can be the easiest way to raise capital to invest in your business, compared to trying to get loans. Some companies flourished from this decision. Others are wondering what went so wrong.

Best Performer: Parsons Corporation

• IPO Date: May 2019
• IPO Price: $31.01
• Current Price(As of November 16, 2023): $62.59

If you’re in the defense industry, you’ve made a sound choice. There are always threats we have to worry about, both near and far. Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN) decided to take this route and has expanded to technology defense. They help keep everything safe online and engineer different codes to keep up with what hackers use. Because of this, their stock price has done very well. They first started to be traded on the market in May 2019 with a price of $31.01. Today, it’ll cost you $62.59 for one share of Parsons. Technology is only advancing and Parsons has become one of the leaders in this group. It’s smart to invest with them, thanks to their business always being needed.

Worst Performer: Peloton Interactive

August 28, 2019 Palo Alto / CA / USA – Peloton store exterior view; Peloton is an American exercise equipment and media company whose main product is a luxury stationary bicycle

• IPO Date: September 2019
• IPO Price: $25.24
• Current Price (As of November 16, 2023): $5.36

There was a time when having Peloton (NASDAQ: PTON) stock was like having gold. During the pandemic, it was the best way to stay in shape, feel like you’re part of a community, and take classes online. However, the stock has since fallen dramatically, thanks to everyone being able to go back outside. The stock first was sold for $25.24 in September 2019. By December 2020, the stock had flown up to $162.72. This was a trendy gift to give loved ones during the height of the pandemic, and the stock price reflected that. Ever since then, the stock has fallen. The biggest drop took place in October 2021, when it was worth $93.83. This is when places started to open back up and get back to normal. Today, the stock is only worth $5.36 with no signs of going back to where it once was.

Best Performer: Tradeweb

• IPO Date: April 2019
• IPO Price: $36.58
• Current Price (As of November 16, 2023): $92.30

One of the ways people passed the time during the pandemic was by learning about investing. Tradeweb (NASDAQ: TW) is a company that provides a marketplace for trading ETFs, derivatives, and other products. They first started their company in 1998 and finally went public 21 years later. After going public in April 2019, the company has seen mostly growth during the last four and a half years. There have been some slow times for the stock, but they started at $36.58 and are now going for $92.30. The steady rise and current interest in making money via the markets make Tradeweb a company that will be around for the long haul.

Worst Performer: Lyft

• IPO Date: March 2019
• IPO Price: $78.29
• Current Price (As of November 16, 2023): $10.40

Ordering a Lyft (NASDAQ: LYFT) is a great way to make sure you get wherever you need to safely, especially on the nights you’ve had one too many. There have been countless accidents saved thanks to the rideshare company. However, their stock price isn’t quite what people had hoped for. When Lyft first went public in March 2019, there was optimism for it to be one of the best stocks on the market. This was reflected in the opening price being $78.29. The price would never reach a point this high again, as all it’s done is fall to $10.40 today.

There are a couple of possible reasons behind this, with the top two being the current price they charge and the fact they only offer rideshare. Uber expanded to food and package delivery, helping their stock stay steady. Lyft needs to figure out how to get more customers in different ways, or else they’ll stay the same.

Best Performer: Datadog

• IPO Date: September 2019
• IPO Price: $36.15
• Current Price (As of November 16, 2023): $109.12

Society has put tons of information online that has to be kept safe. Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) was one of the first companies to create a tool that helps monitor the clouds that store our information. They’ve been one of the fastest-growing companies and have also been named one of the best companies to work for. The happy employees and great products have helped their stock price rise quickly. In September 2019, when the company first went public, the stock price was $36.15. Today, it’s going to cost $109.12 to own one share of Datadog. With how much information we keep putting out there, it’s no wonder companies like Datadog do so well and will continue to.

Worst Performer: Smile Direct

• IPO Date: September 2019
• IPO Price: $18.68
• Current Price (As of November 16, 2023): $0.04

Everyone wants to have that perfect smile and will do almost anything to make it happen. When Smile Direct (OTCMKTS: SDCCQ) was first announced, the idea was great. Not having to go to the dentist, not having to wear braces, and getting your teeth straightened was everyone’s dream. This also was shown in the opening stock price for the company in September 2019. It was first going for $18.68, but much like Lyft, the price never went any higher than that. The fall of the stock value of Smile Direct has been almost unbelievable, thanks to the hype that was once around it. Now, you can get the stock for as little as $0.04. That’s right. Four cents is all it’ll cost you to own part of Smile Direct.

Best Performer: SiTime

• IPO Date: November 2019
• IPO Price: $18.05
• Current Price (As of November 16, 2023): $114.80

As is the case with a lot of technology companies, SiTime (NASDAQ: SITM) has seen their stock do very well. This company has perfected micro-electromechanical systems. For those who don’t know what that is, they are one of the best at working with moving technology that’s small. This is very important for government projects, as our goal is to be able to not be seen by countries we are at war with. In November 2019, the stock was going for $18.05. These days, it’s going for $114.80. The stock has seen higher numbers before and should expect to continue to head back to the higher values.

Worst Performer: Precision Biosciences

• IPO Date: March 2019
• IPO Price: $17.95
• Current Price (As of November 16, 2023): $0.38

Have you ever wanted to alter the genetics you were born with? Precision Biosciences (NASDAQ: DTIL) has tried to give you that ability. Unfortunately, they might not have been as successful as they were planning to be. There was a lot of hype around the stock, as one that could rank high in the science community. When they first went public, they sold for $17.95 in March 2019. As of today, they are only going for $0.38 per share. The stock is another one that had only seen one moment where its value was higher than when it first went public, which was in December 2019. Ever since then, they’ve had trouble keeping up.

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