XLK vs TLT — 21-Year Performance Comparison
Technology vs Long-Term Treasuries — backtested 2004–2024
XLK wins$169,406 vs $20,150 on $10,000 over 21 years
XLKTechnology
Final value$169,406
CAGR+14.4%
Max drawdown-42.3%
Best year+62% (2009)
Years won16 of 21
TLTLong-Term Treasuries
Final value$20,150
CAGR+3.4%
Max drawdown-38.0%
Best year+34% (2011)
Years won5 of 21
Growth of $10,000
2004–2024XLKTLT
XLK$169,406
TLT$20,150
50/50 mix$75,415
50/50 blend: $75,415 (+10.1%/yr CAGR)
Splitting equally between XLK and TLT would have landed between the two — slightly lower CAGR than XLK but less volatility. Try a custom split →
Year-by-year: XLK vs TLT
| Year | XLK | TLT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +24.0% | -8.1% | XLK |
| 2023 | +57.8% | +2.8% | XLK |
| 2022 | -28.2% | -31.2% | XLK |
| 2021 | +34.5% | -4.6% | XLK |
| 2020 | +43.9% | +18.1% | XLK |
| 2019 | +50.3% | +14.1% | XLK |
| 2018 | -1.6% | -1.6% | XLK |
| 2017 | +38.8% | +9.2% | XLK |
| 2016 | +13.9% | +1.2% | XLK |
| 2015 | +4.3% | -1.8% | XLK |
| 2014 | +19.8% | +27.3% | TLT |
| 2013 | +27.7% | -13.4% | XLK |
| 2012 | +14.0% | +2.6% | XLK |
| 2011 | +2.7% | +34.0% | TLT |
| 2010 | +11.1% | +9.1% | XLK |
| 2009 | +61.7% | -21.8% | XLK |
| 2008 | -42.3% | +33.9% | TLT |
| 2007 | +16.4% | +10.3% | XLK |
| 2006 | +12.2% | +0.7% | XLK |
| 2005 | +1.6% | +8.8% | TLT |
| 2004 | +3.7% | +7.9% | TLT |
More comparisons
Build your portfolio
Mix XLK + TLT 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.