$NAS100 After Weathering Countless Storms, the Nasdaq-100 Index Climbs Back Above 29544

    On September 4, 2026, the Nasdaq-100 Index edged up 0.21% to close at 29544 points.     
Over the three trading days at the start of September, it edged up 0.3%. Scattered gains hardly make a feast, but they are like a ray of warm autumn afternoon sunshine—not blazing, but reassuring.      
In August, the Nasdaq rose 4.18% for the month, laying the groundwork for the autumn rally. Year to date, the index has risen 17.01%.   
 Looking back at July, the road was far from smooth.   
At the time, earnings disasters at tech giants shook faith in AI, and the Nasdaq plunged 10% intraday, leaving the market filled with despair. How many people fled in panic, and how many spent sleepless nights? Yet in less than two months, the index climbed step by step from the mire of 27172 points back to 29544—up 4.18% in August and another 0.3% in September, just 4% below the June 3 high of 30762 points.  
That is the market: when prices plunge, you think the end of the world is near; looking back, it was merely a wave in a long river.       
Su Shi wrote: "Looking back to where I came through the bleakness, I return; there is neither wind and rain nor sunshine." Is investing not the same? July's storms, August's recovery, and September's stabilization are all scenery along the journey. Seen from a longer perspective, the Nasdaq has gained over 650% in 15 years, and the countless 20%-30% drawdowns along the way were ultimately smoothed out by time. 
 September's opening may have been uneventful, but uneventful is not necessarily bad. The market's temperament has never been about the gain or loss on a single day, but whether you believe in the power of the long term.   
Investing is like sailing: do not become carried away when going with the current, and do not lose your bearings when rowing against it. See the direction clearly, keep the rudder steady, and leave the rest to time.

 Looking back to where I came through the bleakness, there is neither wind and rain nor sunshine? 
Su Dongpo's line could not be more fitting to describe the Nasdaq-100 Index's fantastical 17-year voyage. Since 2010, its steadily northbound K-line chart has vividly illustrated what it means for "technology to change lives—and accounts." If you had planted $10,000 at the start of 2010 and held it passively until today, it would have swollen as if by magic—this is no mere index, but clearly a "rose of time" combined with "the leverage of technology."    

 But this train bound for the future was by no means a soft sleeper for the entire journey. 
It has seen the terrifying moment of "a waterfall plunging three thousand feet" during the circuit breakers of the 2020 pandemic, as well as the darkest days of 2022, under intense inflationary pressure, when prices "fell so far you questioned your life." The maddening part is that every time you think, "This time is different; the tech bubble is about to burst," it somehow manages to shakily climb back up, dust itself off, and then make a new high just to show you—a bona fide U.S. stock market "unkillable cockroach."

Darkest Moments
2026: A volatile decline lasting nearly six months from November 2025 to March 2026, with a cumulative drop of 9%.             
July alone plunged over 6.6%, with the maximum intramonth decline exceeding 10%. 2025: A nearly 8% plunge in March, with a cumulative 11% plunge across February and March.
2022: Five months fell more than 8% (such as April's -13.4% and September's -10.6%), for a full-year decline of 33%.
March 2020: Pandemic circuit breakers, with extreme monthly volatility.
October 2018: -8.7%; December: -8.9%.
Violent Rebounds
April 2020: +15.2%; January 2023: +10.6%; April 2026: +15.6%. May 2026: +10.46%.
Selling at a loss after a plunge would mean completely missing the biggest gains.
Note that:
1.Historical gains do not represent future returns; do not blindly chase highs.
2.For ordinary investors, buying index funds is less stressful than guessing which individual stock to buy.$NAS100