GLD vs XLE — 20-Year Performance Comparison
Gold vs Energy — backtested 2005–2024
GLD wins$55,289 vs $46,866 on $10,000 over 20 years
GLDGold
Final value$55,289
CAGR+8.9%
Max drawdown-37.4%
Best year+31% (2007)
Years won12 of 20
XLEEnergy
Final value$46,866
CAGR+8.0%
Max drawdown-42.8%
Best year+64% (2022)
Years won8 of 20
Growth of $10,000
2005–2024GLDXLE
GLD$55,289
XLE$46,866
50/50 mix$62,114
50/50 blend: $62,114 (+9.6%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between GLD and XLE would have outperformed both individually — diversification smoothed the ride. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: GLD vs XLE
| Year | GLD | XLE | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +26.7% | +5.4% | GLD |
| 2023 | +12.7% | +2.2% | GLD |
| 2022 | -0.8% | +64.2% | XLE |
| 2021 | -4.2% | +53.4% | XLE |
| 2020 | +24.8% | -31.8% | GLD |
| 2019 | +17.9% | +11.8% | GLD |
| 2018 | -1.9% | -18.2% | GLD |
| 2017 | +12.8% | -1.0% | GLD |
| 2016 | +8.0% | +27.4% | XLE |
| 2015 | -10.7% | -21.1% | GLD |
| 2014 | -2.2% | -7.8% | GLD |
| 2013 | -28.3% | +25.1% | XLE |
| 2012 | +6.6% | +4.6% | GLD |
| 2011 | +9.6% | +14.9% | XLE |
| 2010 | +29.3% | +20.6% | GLD |
| 2009 | +24.0% | +13.3% | GLD |
| 2008 | +5.0% | -37.6% | GLD |
| 2007 | +30.6% | +35.0% | XLE |
| 2006 | +22.2% | +24.4% | XLE |
| 2005 | +18.0% | +40.2% | XLE |
More comparisons
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