Five years ago, global markets were in chaos. COVID-19 had triggered widespread lockdowns, investor panic was rampant, and share prices across the board were plunging.

It was March 2020 — and buying shares back then felt more like an act of bravery than rational investing. But, as history often shows, those who stick to a long-term plan and invest in quality during times of fear are often rewarded.

One ETF that was hit hard at the time but has bounced back in a big way is the BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ).

Let's take a closer look.

A five-year journey with the NDQ ETF

On 28 March 2020, the NDQ ETF was trading at $21.45 per unit. For investors willing to deploy $10,000 at the time, that would have secured around 466 units in the fund.

Fast forward five years, and the Nasdaq 100 — which the ETF tracks — has been through plenty. There was the tech boom in 2021, a painful correction in 2022, and major bull markets in 2023 and 2024 driven by the explosion in artificial intelligence (AI).

Key holdings like Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) have been at the centre of this resurgence. Nvidia, in particular, has seen extraordinary growth as demand for its AI-enabling chips soared. Its meteoric rise helped push the Nasdaq to record highs, lifting ASX ETFs like NDQ along with it.

And even after a sharp pullback in 2025 due to trade tariff concerns — with NDQ down from a 52-week high of $52.15 — the ETF is still changing hands notably higher than five years ago at $46.83.

So, how did that $10,000 investment turn out?

Those 466 units are now worth $21,822.78 — more than double the initial investment in just five years.

And that's not including dividends. Over the period, the NDQ ETF has paid out a series of distributions. In total, approximately $4.48 per share has been paid out to unitholders during the past five years.

These dividends would have added a further $2,087.68 to your return, boosting it to a total of $23,910.46. That's a total return of almost 140%.

Foolish takeaway

This is a timely reminder that market volatility often creates opportunities. While it is never easy to buy when sentiment is low, investors who focused on long-term growth and quality — like the global tech leaders in the Nasdaq 100 — have been handsomely rewarded.