GLD vs XLU — 20-Year Performance Comparison
Gold vs Utilities — backtested 2005–2024
GLD wins$55,289 vs $53,001 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
XLUUtilities
Final value$53,001
CAGR+8.7%
Max drawdown-29.0%
Best year+29% (2014)
Years won8 of 20
Growth of $10,000
2005–2024GLDXLU
GLD$55,289
XLU$53,001
50/50 mix$58,861
50/50 blend: $58,861 (+9.3%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between GLD and XLU would have outperformed both individually — diversification smoothed the ride. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: GLD vs XLU
| Year | GLD | XLU | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +26.7% | +23.4% | GLD |
| 2023 | +12.7% | -10.2% | GLD |
| 2022 | -0.8% | -0.9% | GLD |
| 2021 | -4.2% | +17.7% | XLU |
| 2020 | +24.8% | -0.6% | GLD |
| 2019 | +17.9% | +26.3% | XLU |
| 2018 | -1.9% | +4.4% | XLU |
| 2017 | +12.8% | +12.1% | GLD |
| 2016 | +8.0% | +16.3% | XLU |
| 2015 | -10.7% | -4.8% | XLU |
| 2014 | -2.2% | +29.0% | XLU |
| 2013 | -28.3% | +13.2% | XLU |
| 2012 | +6.6% | +1.4% | GLD |
| 2011 | +9.6% | +20.0% | XLU |
| 2010 | +29.3% | +5.5% | GLD |
| 2009 | +24.0% | +11.5% | GLD |
| 2008 | +5.0% | -29.0% | GLD |
| 2007 | +30.6% | +20.2% | GLD |
| 2006 | +22.2% | +21.3% | GLD |
| 2005 | +18.0% | +16.5% | GLD |
More comparisons
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