XLE vs LQD — 23-Year Performance Comparison
Energy vs Investment-Grade Corp Bonds — backtested 2002–2024
XLE wins$69,811 vs $26,647 on $10,000 over 23 years
XLEEnergy
Final value$69,811
CAGR+8.8%
Max drawdown-42.8%
Best year+64% (2022)
Years won13 of 23
LQDInvestment-Grade Corp Bonds
Final value$26,647
CAGR+4.4%
Max drawdown-19.4%
Best year+17% (2019)
Years won10 of 23
Growth of $10,000
2002–2024XLELQD
XLE$69,811
LQD$26,647
50/50 mix$53,299
50/50 blend: $53,299 (+7.5%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between XLE and LQD would have landed between the two — slightly lower CAGR than XLE but less volatility. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: XLE vs LQD
| Year | XLE | LQD | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +5.4% | +0.9% | XLE |
| 2023 | +2.2% | +9.4% | LQD |
| 2022 | +64.2% | -17.9% | XLE |
| 2021 | +53.4% | -1.8% | XLE |
| 2020 | -31.8% | +11.0% | LQD |
| 2019 | +11.8% | +17.4% | LQD |
| 2018 | -18.2% | -3.8% | LQD |
| 2017 | -1.0% | +7.1% | LQD |
| 2016 | +27.4% | +6.2% | XLE |
| 2015 | -21.1% | -1.3% | LQD |
| 2014 | -7.8% | +8.2% | LQD |
| 2013 | +25.1% | -2.0% | XLE |
| 2012 | +4.6% | +10.6% | LQD |
| 2011 | +14.9% | +9.7% | XLE |
| 2010 | +20.6% | +9.3% | XLE |
| 2009 | +13.3% | +8.4% | XLE |
| 2008 | -37.6% | +2.4% | LQD |
| 2007 | +35.0% | +3.7% | XLE |
| 2006 | +24.4% | +4.2% | XLE |
| 2005 | +40.2% | +1.2% | XLE |
| 2004 | +31.4% | +5.7% | XLE |
| 2003 | +26.1% | +7.3% | XLE |
| 2002 | -10.1% | +9.9% | LQD |
More comparisons
Build your portfolio
Mix XLE + LQD with custom allocations
Try a 70/30 or 40/60 split — or add up to 3 more ETFs. See exactly how your custom portfolio would have performed.
Open Portfolio Builder →Past performance does not guarantee future results.