GLD vs TLT — 20-Year Performance Comparison
Gold vs Long-Term Treasuries — backtested 2005–2024
GLD wins$55,289 vs $18,673 on $10,000 over 20 years
GLDGold
Final value$55,289
CAGR+8.9%
Max drawdown-37.4%
Best year+31% (2007)
Years won14 of 20
TLTLong-Term Treasuries
Final value$18,673
CAGR+3.2%
Max drawdown-38.0%
Best year+34% (2011)
Years won6 of 20
Growth of $10,000
2005–2024GLDTLT
GLD$55,289
TLT$18,673
50/50 mix$35,425
50/50 blend: $35,425 (+6.5%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between GLD and TLT would have landed between the two — slightly lower CAGR than GLD but less volatility. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: GLD vs TLT
| Year | GLD | TLT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +26.7% | -8.1% | GLD |
| 2023 | +12.7% | +2.8% | GLD |
| 2022 | -0.8% | -31.2% | GLD |
| 2021 | -4.2% | -4.6% | GLD |
| 2020 | +24.8% | +18.1% | GLD |
| 2019 | +17.9% | +14.1% | GLD |
| 2018 | -1.9% | -1.6% | TLT |
| 2017 | +12.8% | +9.2% | GLD |
| 2016 | +8.0% | +1.2% | GLD |
| 2015 | -10.7% | -1.8% | TLT |
| 2014 | -2.2% | +27.3% | TLT |
| 2013 | -28.3% | -13.4% | TLT |
| 2012 | +6.6% | +2.6% | GLD |
| 2011 | +9.6% | +34.0% | TLT |
| 2010 | +29.3% | +9.1% | GLD |
| 2009 | +24.0% | -21.8% | GLD |
| 2008 | +5.0% | +33.9% | TLT |
| 2007 | +30.6% | +10.3% | GLD |
| 2006 | +22.2% | +0.7% | GLD |
| 2005 | +18.0% | +8.8% | GLD |
More comparisons
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