The SSE Composite Index is a stock market index of all stocks on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. While the Chinese economy has grown significantly over the past two decades, the Shanghai Stock Exchange has had more humble returns. For reference, China's GDP grew from 1.47 trillion USD in 2002 to 17.96 trillion USD in 2022, while the SSE went from 1500 at the beginning of 2003 to 3255 at the beginning of 2023.

For further reference, from 2003 until 2022, the SSE ended the year up for 11 of those years and down for 9 of those years.