It seems clear to me the point is not really how much money you could have made- that's just the framing premise, or excuse, for the data they present, which is

It seems clear to me the point is not really how much money you could have made- that's just the framing premise, or excuse, for the data they present, which is mildly interesting. Like, for example, this chart: http://cdn.theatlantic.com/newsroom/img/posts/top-daily-performer-on-s-p-500-in-2013_chartbuilder.png http://cdn.theatlantic.com/newsroom/img/posts/top-daily-perf...