GLD vs XLF — 20-Year Performance Comparison
Gold vs Financials — backtested 2005–2024
GLD wins$55,289 vs $29,429 on $10,000 over 20 years
GLDGold
Final value$55,289
CAGR+8.9%
Max drawdown-37.4%
Best year+31% (2007)
Years won11 of 20
XLFFinancials
Final value$29,429
CAGR+5.5%
Max drawdown-63.6%
Best year+36% (2013)
Years won9 of 20
Growth of $10,000
2005–2024GLDXLF
GLD$55,289
XLF$29,429
50/50 mix$50,227
50/50 blend: $50,227 (+8.4%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between GLD and XLF would have landed between the two — slightly lower CAGR than GLD but less volatility. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: GLD vs XLF
| Year | GLD | XLF | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +26.7% | +30.9% | XLF |
| 2023 | +12.7% | +12.2% | GLD |
| 2022 | -0.8% | -10.5% | GLD |
| 2021 | -4.2% | +35.0% | XLF |
| 2020 | +24.8% | -1.7% | GLD |
| 2019 | +17.9% | +32.1% | XLF |
| 2018 | -1.9% | -14.6% | GLD |
| 2017 | +12.8% | +22.2% | XLF |
| 2016 | +8.0% | +22.8% | XLF |
| 2015 | -10.7% | -1.5% | XLF |
| 2014 | -2.2% | +15.2% | XLF |
| 2013 | -28.3% | +35.6% | XLF |
| 2012 | +6.6% | +29.0% | XLF |
| 2011 | +9.6% | -17.1% | GLD |
| 2010 | +29.3% | +12.1% | GLD |
| 2009 | +24.0% | +17.5% | GLD |
| 2008 | +5.0% | -55.3% | GLD |
| 2007 | +30.6% | -18.6% | GLD |
| 2006 | +22.2% | +19.1% | GLD |
| 2005 | +18.0% | +6.1% | GLD |
More comparisons
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