The Financial Post reports in its Friday edition that exactly three years ago on Dec. 21, Tesla finally started trading on the S&P 500 index. An Associated Press dispatch to the Post says that since then, the company's shareholders must be wondering whether they should have just put their money in an index exchange-traded fund. Tesla shares, now $252.54 (U.S.), closed at $232 (U.S.) on Dec. 18, 2020, the session before the company joined the S&P 500. Tesla has its challenges, and things could get even more challenging for Tesla as demand for electric vehicles cools. Even the company's dominant position in the sector, which makes it perhaps the only viable bet for investors in the industry, may not be enough to help its stock price in the coming years. Still, the euphoric rally that preceded Tesla's entry into the S&P 500 makes the stock's weak showing palatable to some investors. The shares rose a staggering 731 per cent in 2020 through Dec. 18 as expectations the company would soon gain blue-chip status lured both institutional and retail investors. Getting a spot in the S&P meant many fund managers who were wary of the company's unpredictable chief executive officer, Elon Musk, had to take notice.