DCA history · Gold
Gold DCA since 2011: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2011 (190 buys, $19,000 in total) would be worth $48,065 today (+152.97%).
Backtest 1 January 2011 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$48,065
+152.97% · +10.87%/yr
- Invested
- $19,000.00
- Buys
- 190
- Average cost
- $1,606.38
Lump sum, day one
Winner$54,373
+186.18%
- Invested
- $19,000.00
- Bought at
- $1,420.00
- Max drawdown
- 44.94%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$73,464
+286.65%
- Bought on
- 17 Dec 2015
- At a price of
- $1,051.00
- Not a plan you could follow
How it would have felt
Over this period the plan was worth less than the money you’d put in on 40.8% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 1,204 days (to 7 Jul 2016). The worst moment was 27 Jun 2013, when it was down 24.9% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 12 Jun 2019. The average cost per unit was $1,606.38 against a price today of $4,063.70 (+152.97%). The cheapest buy was $1,061.00 on 1 Jan 2016 and the priciest $5,230.50 on 1 Mar 2026.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2011 | $1,200 | $1,208 | +0.63% |
| 31 Dec 2012 | $2,400 | $2,469 | +2.88% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $3,600 | $2,821 | -21.64% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $4,800 | $3,893 | -18.89% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $6,000 | $4,593 | -23.45% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $7,200 | $6,098 | -15.31% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $8,400 | $8,151 | -2.96% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $9,600 | $9,236 | -3.79% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $10,800 | $12,274 | +13.65% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $12,000 | $16,602 | +38.35% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $13,200 | $17,245 | +30.65% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $14,400 | $18,387 | +27.69% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $15,600 | $22,121 | +41.80% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $16,800 | $29,546 | +75.87% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $18,000 | $50,192 | +178.84% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $19,000 | $48,065 | +152.97% |
Try a different start
Monthly $100 into Gold, by start year:
Does the start year really matter? Best and worst time to start DCA or DCA vs lump sum, tested on every start month.
Frequently asked questions
- How much would $100 every month in Gold since 2011 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2011 (190 buys, $19,000 in total) would be worth $48,065 today (+152.97%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for Gold since 2011?
- Investing the same $19,000 in one go on 1 January 2011 would be worth $54,373 today (+186.18%), so putting it all in on day one came out ahead over this particular period. Which wins depends heavily on the start date.
- How long was Gold DCA underwater since 2011?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 40.8% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 1,204 days (ending 7 Jul 2016).