DCA history · Gold
Gold DCA since 2013: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2013 (166 buys, $16,600 in total) would be worth $41,998 today (+153.00%).
Backtest 1 January 2013 to 22 October 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
Winner$41,998
+153.00% · +12.54%/yr
- Invested
- $16,600.00
- Buys
- 166
- Average cost
- $1,605.92
Lump sum, day one
$40,728
+145.35%
- Invested
- $16,600.00
- Bought at
- $1,656.00
- Max drawdown
- 37.88%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$64,173
+286.58%
- 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 31.7% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 717 days (to 2 Mar 2016). The worst moment was 27 Jun 2013, when it was down 22.6% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 24 Dec 2018. The average cost per unit was $1,605.92 against a price today of $4,063.00 (+153.00%). 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 2013 | $1,200 | $1,024 | -14.65% |
| 31 Dec 2014 | $2,400 | $2,132 | -11.16% |
| 31 Dec 2015 | $3,600 | $3,011 | -16.36% |
| 31 Dec 2016 | $4,800 | $4,381 | -8.72% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $6,000 | $6,208 | +3.47% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $7,200 | $7,324 | +1.73% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $8,400 | $10,008 | +19.15% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $9,600 | $13,779 | +43.53% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $10,800 | $14,520 | +34.45% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $12,000 | $15,674 | +30.62% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $13,200 | $19,045 | +44.28% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $14,400 | $25,626 | +77.96% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $15,600 | $43,742 | +180.40% |
| 22 Oct 2026 | $16,600 | $41,998 | +153.00% |
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 2013 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into Gold since 1 January 2013 (166 buys, $16,600 in total) would be worth $41,998 today (+153.00%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for Gold since 2013?
- Investing the same $16,600 in one go on 1 January 2013 would be worth $40,728 today (+145.35%), so spreading the buys out came out ahead over this particular period. Which wins depends heavily on the start date.
- How long was Gold DCA underwater since 2013?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 31.7% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 717 days (ending 2 Mar 2016).