GLD vs XLB — 20-Year Performance Comparison
Gold vs Materials — backtested 2005–2024
GLD wins$55,289 vs $50,514 on $10,000 over 20 years
GLDGold
Final value$55,289
CAGR+8.9%
Max drawdown-37.4%
Best year+31% (2007)
Years won10 of 20
XLBMaterials
Final value$50,514
CAGR+8.4%
Max drawdown-44.9%
Best year+48% (2009)
Years won10 of 20
Growth of $10,000
2005–2024GLDXLB
GLD$55,289
XLB$50,514
50/50 mix$59,746
50/50 blend: $59,746 (+9.3%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between GLD and XLB would have outperformed both individually — diversification smoothed the ride. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: GLD vs XLB
| Year | GLD | XLB | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +26.7% | +6.5% | GLD |
| 2023 | +12.7% | +11.9% | GLD |
| 2022 | -0.8% | -13.8% | GLD |
| 2021 | -4.2% | +27.3% | XLB |
| 2020 | +24.8% | +20.6% | GLD |
| 2019 | +17.9% | +24.5% | XLB |
| 2018 | -1.9% | -14.7% | GLD |
| 2017 | +12.8% | +22.1% | XLB |
| 2016 | +8.0% | +17.4% | XLB |
| 2015 | -10.7% | -8.0% | XLB |
| 2014 | -2.2% | +6.9% | XLB |
| 2013 | -28.3% | +25.6% | XLB |
| 2012 | +6.6% | +15.4% | XLB |
| 2011 | +9.6% | -9.8% | GLD |
| 2010 | +29.3% | +20.5% | GLD |
| 2009 | +24.0% | +47.6% | XLB |
| 2008 | +5.0% | -44.9% | GLD |
| 2007 | +30.6% | +22.9% | GLD |
| 2006 | +22.2% | +22.4% | XLB |
| 2005 | +18.0% | +11.0% | GLD |
More comparisons
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