What are stock market YTD returns?

The stock market year-to-date return is a metric that measures the appreciation of the value of a stock market investment since the start of the year, states Money Crashers. It is expressed as a percentage and measures financial performance.

Investors can determine the YTD return by calculating the change in the price of a stock or mutual fund investment since the beginning of the year, and then adding any dividends, according to Zacks. A positive YTD value means that the investment yielded a positive return, while a negative YTD value means that the investment resulted in a loss in capital.