# Methodology: how the returns, drawdowns and dividend yields are calculated > How FindETFStock collects daily closing prices for US ETFs and stocks and calculates price returns, max drawdown and trailing dividend yield. Source: https://findetfstock.com/methodology/ ยท Last updated: 2026-10-02 FindETFStock calculates every figure from **daily closing prices of US-listed ETFs and stocks reported by Yahoo Finance**, collected once per trading day after the 16:00 New York close. Returns are **price returns** (they exclude dividends), max drawdown is measured **peak to trough within the selected period**, and dividend yield is the **sum of ex-dividend amounts in the last 365 days divided by the latest close**. ## Key facts | Item | Rule | |---|---| | Universe | US exchange-listed ETFs and common stocks from the Nasdaq Trader symbol directories | | Price source | Yahoo Finance daily `Close`, in USD | | Update time | Weekdays at 17:30 New York time, after the US close settles | | Return type | Price return, dividends not reinvested | | History stored | About 5 years per symbol (less for newer listings) | | Dividend window | The 365 calendar days ending on the latest completed session | ## Which ETFs and stocks are included? FindETFStock includes US exchange-listed ETFs and common stocks found in the [Nasdaq Trader symbol directories](https://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=SymbolDirDefs) (`nasdaqlisted.txt` and `otherlisted.txt`). Test issues, warrants, rights, preferred shares, notes, debentures and SPAC unit packages are excluded from stocks. ETFs are identified by the directory's ETF flag. A new symbol is added only after Yahoo Finance confirms the same ticker, an ETF or equity instrument type, a US exchange and USD prices. New listings start with up to 365 days of history. A symbol is listed on the site only when it has **at least two valid closes** and **a close on one of the two most recent trading days**. Symbols that stopped trading, or whose data provider has no recent price, drop out automatically. ## How are daily closing prices collected and checked? The daily job fetches recent closes in batches and accepts a source only when it agrees with the stored history: it must overlap at least three stored dates and differ by **no more than 2%** on every overlapping date. Stored closes are never overwritten; the job only fills missing trading days. Symbols that fail the batch check, or that have gaps inside their stored history, are re-fetched one by one and checked the same way. Only completed sessions are used: before 16:15 New York time the current day is ignored. ## How is the return for a period calculated? The return for a period compares the latest close with the **last close on or before the same calendar date one period earlier**: `return % = (latest close / earlier close - 1) x 100` - **1d** compares with the previous trading day's close. - **1w, 2w, 3w** use 7, 14 and 21 calendar days. - **1m to 18m, 2y, 3y, 4y** use calendar months (for example, 31 March minus one month is 28 or 29 February). - **12m** uses the first stored close when a symbol has less than a year of history. - **5y** is the change since the first stored close, which is about five years back for older symbols and shorter for newer ones. If no close exists far enough back, the return is left blank rather than estimated. Returns do not include dividends, so for income-heavy ETFs the total return is higher than the price return shown. ## What does the chart show? In **Return %** mode every line starts at 0% on the first trading day of the selected period, so symbols are directly comparable. In **Price** mode the chart plots actual closing prices. The period buttons go back 7 days (1W) to 1,830 days (5Y) from the latest trading day, or the full stored history (All). ## How is max drawdown calculated? Max drawdown is the largest percentage fall from a previous peak close to a later close **within the selected chart period**: `drawdown % = (peak close - later close) / peak close x 100` A max drawdown of 15% for the 1Y period means the price never fell more than 15% below an earlier high during that year. The **Max drawdown** filter uses the period currently selected on the chart. ## How is the trailing dividend yield calculated? The trailing 12 month (TTM) dividend yield adds up the per-share dividend amounts with **ex-dividend dates** in the last 365 days, as reported by Yahoo Finance, and divides the total by the latest close: `TTM yield % = sum of dividends per share in 365 days / latest close x 100` - Amounts are USD per share, as reported; no extra split adjustment is applied. - Special dividends are included; separately reported capital-gain distributions are excluded. - The figure is historical. It is **not** a forecast, a forward yield or an SEC 30 day yield. - If the dividend data for a symbol could not be refreshed for the latest session, it is shown as unavailable, never as zero. ## How is the default ranking chosen? The symbol list is sorted by the selected rank metric, highest first, and the chart plots the top 20 by default. Any return period, the TTM dividend yield or the TTM dividends per share can be used as the rank metric. Min and max filters apply to the same metric. ## How often is the data updated, and when can it be wrong? Data is refreshed every weekday at 17:30 New York time, with automatic retries later in the evening if the source is slow. Known limitations: - **Corporate actions:** stored closes are kept as collected. After a stock split, Yahoo Finance restates older prices, which can make a symbol fail the 2% consistency check until its history is repaired. - **Thinly traded symbols** can have missing days; the job retries those gaps each day. - **Data provider errors** are possible. Check a fund's official website or filings before acting on any number. ## Sources - Daily closing prices and dividend events: [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/) ([dividend definitions](https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN4628.html)). - Listing universe: [Nasdaq Trader symbol directory definitions](https://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=SymbolDirDefs). FindETFStock shows historical data for research and education. It is not investment advice; see the [financial disclaimer](/disclaimer/).