TLT vs XLF — 21-Year Performance Comparison
Long-Term Treasuries vs Financials — backtested 2004–2024
XLF wins$32,577 vs $20,150 on $10,000 over 21 years
TLTLong-Term Treasuries
Final value$20,150
CAGR+3.4%
Max drawdown-38.0%
Best year+34% (2011)
Years won7 of 21
XLFFinancials
Final value$32,577
CAGR+5.8%
Max drawdown-63.6%
Best year+36% (2013)
Years won14 of 21
Growth of $10,000
2004–2024TLTXLF
TLT$20,150
XLF$32,577
50/50 mix$34,458
50/50 blend: $34,458 (+6.1%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between TLT and XLF would have outperformed both individually — diversification smoothed the ride. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: TLT vs XLF
| Year | TLT | XLF | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | -8.1% | +30.9% | XLF |
| 2023 | +2.8% | +12.2% | XLF |
| 2022 | -31.2% | -10.5% | XLF |
| 2021 | -4.6% | +35.0% | XLF |
| 2020 | +18.1% | -1.7% | TLT |
| 2019 | +14.1% | +32.1% | XLF |
| 2018 | -1.6% | -14.6% | TLT |
| 2017 | +9.2% | +22.2% | XLF |
| 2016 | +1.2% | +22.8% | XLF |
| 2015 | -1.8% | -1.5% | XLF |
| 2014 | +27.3% | +15.2% | TLT |
| 2013 | -13.4% | +35.6% | XLF |
| 2012 | +2.6% | +29.0% | XLF |
| 2011 | +34.0% | -17.1% | TLT |
| 2010 | +9.1% | +12.1% | XLF |
| 2009 | -21.8% | +17.5% | XLF |
| 2008 | +33.9% | -55.3% | TLT |
| 2007 | +10.3% | -18.6% | TLT |
| 2006 | +0.7% | +19.1% | XLF |
| 2005 | +8.8% | +6.1% | TLT |
| 2004 | +7.9% | +10.7% | XLF |
More comparisons
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