DCA history · Gold
Gold DCA since 2012: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2012 (178 buys, $17,800 in total) would be worth $44,925 today (+152.39%).
Backtest 1 January 2012 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$44,925
+152.39% · +11.62%/yr
- Invested
- $17,800.00
- Buys
- 178
- Average cost
- $1,610.10
Lump sum, day one
Winner$46,279
+159.99%
- Invested
- $17,800.00
- Bought at
- $1,563.00
- Max drawdown
- 41.28%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$68,824
+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 41.8% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 1,239 days (to 30 Jun 2016). The worst moment was 27 Jun 2013, when it was down 26.3% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 3 Jun 2019. The average cost per unit was $1,610.10 against a price today of $4,063.70 (+152.39%). 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 2012 | $1,200 | $1,190 | -0.85% |
| 31 Dec 2013 | $2,400 | $1,890 | -21.25% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $3,600 | $2,981 | -17.20% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $4,800 | $3,773 | -21.39% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $6,000 | $5,208 | -13.19% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $7,200 | $7,144 | -0.77% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $8,400 | $8,245 | -1.84% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $9,600 | $11,100 | +15.63% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $10,800 | $15,139 | +40.18% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $12,000 | $15,833 | +31.95% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $13,200 | $16,981 | +28.65% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $14,400 | $20,527 | +42.55% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $15,600 | $27,515 | +76.38% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $16,800 | $46,850 | +178.87% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $17,800 | $44,925 | +152.39% |
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 2012 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2012 (178 buys, $17,800 in total) would be worth $44,925 today (+152.39%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for Gold since 2012?
- Investing the same $17,800 in one go on 1 January 2012 would be worth $46,279 today (+159.99%), 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 2012?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 41.8% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 1,239 days (ending 30 Jun 2016).