Millions of 401(k) Investors Own SpaceX Like It or Not. It’s Already Cost Them $1.4 Billion.

Index investing has earned its reputation as one of the smartest long-term strategies available. Low costs, broad diversification, and steady exposure to America’s biggest companies have helped millions of retirement savers build wealth through their 401(k)s. But passive investing has one trade-off that often goes unnoticed: index funds don’t get to decide what they buy or what price they pay. 

When an index changes, they must follow. SpaceX‘s (NASDAQ:SPCX | SPCX Price Prediction) rapid addition to the Nasdaq-100 last month offers a vivid reminder that even disciplined investing can occasionally produce painful short-term results.

When Passive Investing Becomes Forced Buying

SpaceX officially joined the Nasdaq-100 on July 7 after Nasdaq accelerated eligibility rules for newly public mega-cap companies from 90 trading days to just 15. Reuters reported the change paved the way for billions of dollars in automatic buying by index funds tracking the benchmark.

That buying wasn’t optional. According to JPMorgan, funds tracking the Nasdaq-100 needed to purchase roughly $4.3 billion worth of SpaceX shares, with the trades executed during the July 6 closing auction so portfolios would match the index when trading opened the following day. ETF.com estimated total passive demand tied to Nasdaq-100 products reached into the tens of billions of dollars.

For millions of workers whose retirement savings sit in popular Nasdaq funds like Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ) ETF or similar 401(k) offerings, that meant they became SpaceX shareholders whether they wanted to or not.

The timing couldn’t have been much worse.

A $1.4 Billion Paper Loss

The forced buying occurred while SpaceX traded around $160 per share, based on its July 6 close. Since then, the stock’s journey has been anything but smooth.

After climbing as high as $225 shortly after its IPO, SpaceX has slid 48% from that peak to $109 following its first quarterly earnings report and ahead of its first lockup expiration. The decline occurred as investors digested heavy AI infrastructure spending and prepared for more than 900 million additional shares becoming eligible for sale by October.

Using JPMorgan’s estimated $4.3 billion of QQQ buying as a rough yardstick, the decline from approximately $160 to $109 translates into about $1.4 billion in unrealized losses.

Granted, these are paper losses, not permanent ones. Index funds aren’t selling simply because the stock declined. Moreover, SpaceX accounts for just 0.9% of QQQ’s total portfolio.

The Bigger Lesson for Long-Term Investors

Passive investing remains one of the best wealth-building tools available because index funds remove emotion from investing. Ironically, that same discipline occasionally forces funds to buy stocks when enthusiasm is highest and valuations leave little room for disappointment.

SpaceX’s first earnings report illustrated that risk. Revenue continued growing rapidly, but the market focused on more than $18 billion in quarterly capital expenditures tied largely to AI infrastructure, sending shares sharply lower. JPMorgan, though, just maintained its overweight rating and raised its price target from $225 to $240 — more than double its current price — reflecting its continued confidence in SpaceX’s long-term growth.

Key Takeaway

In short, this isn’t a flaw unique to SpaceX. Every major index periodically adds fast-rising companies after their market values have already surged. Sometimes those stocks keep climbing. Other times, investors discover they paid peak prices. 

The estimated $1.4 billion paper loss isn’t an indictment of index investing — it’s a reminder of how passive funds work. They buy according to rules, not valuations.

Long-term investors shouldn’t abandon diversified index funds because of one poorly timed purchase. Instead, recognize what you’re buying. If your retirement portfolio includes Nasdaq-100 funds, you’re outsourcing stock selection to an index committee. Most of the time that approach works exceptionally well. Occasionally, as SpaceX has shown, it means buying a popular stock at precisely the moment everyone else has to buy it too.

Over decades, diversification has historically outweighed those short-term missteps. But smart investors should remember that “passive” doesn’t always mean “risk-free.”

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