SPDR Gold Trust (GLD)

TotalReturn:

'The total return on a portfolio of investments takes into account not only the capital appreciation on the portfolio, but also the income received on the portfolio. The income typically consists of interest, dividends, and securities lending fees. This contrasts with the price return, which takes into account only the capital gain on an investment.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (61.3%) in the period of the last 5 years, the total return of 26.6% of SPDR Gold Trust is lower, thus worse.
• Looking at total return in of 9.7% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (31.6%).

CAGR:

'The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is a useful measure of growth over multiple time periods. It can be thought of as the growth rate that gets you from the initial investment value to the ending investment value if you assume that the investment has been compounding over the time period.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (10%) in the period of the last 5 years, the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% of SPDR Gold Trust is lower, thus worse.
• Looking at annual performance (CAGR) in of 3.1% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (9.6%).

Volatility:

'Volatility is a rate at which the price of a security increases or decreases for a given set of returns. Volatility is measured by calculating the standard deviation of the annualized returns over a given period of time. It shows the range to which the price of a security may increase or decrease. Volatility measures the risk of a security. It is used in option pricing formula to gauge the fluctuations in the returns of the underlying assets. Volatility indicates the pricing behavior of the security and helps estimate the fluctuations that may happen in a short period of time.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (20.8%) in the period of the last 5 years, the volatility of 14% of SPDR Gold Trust is lower, thus better.
• During the last 3 years, the historical 30 days volatility is 15.8%, which is smaller, thus better than the value of 24% from the benchmark.

DownVol:

'The downside volatility is similar to the volatility, or standard deviation, but only takes losing/negative periods into account.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (15.3%) in the period of the last 5 years, the downside volatility of 10.1% of SPDR Gold Trust is smaller, thus better.
• During the last 3 years, the downside volatility is 11.7%, which is lower, thus better than the value of 17.6% from the benchmark.

Sharpe:

'The Sharpe ratio is the measure of risk-adjusted return of a financial portfolio. Sharpe ratio is a measure of excess portfolio return over the risk-free rate relative to its standard deviation. Normally, the 90-day Treasury bill rate is taken as the proxy for risk-free rate. A portfolio with a higher Sharpe ratio is considered superior relative to its peers. The measure was named after William F Sharpe, a Nobel laureate and professor of finance, emeritus at Stanford University.'

• The ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) over 5 years of SPDR Gold Trust is 0.17, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (0.36) in the same period.
• Compared with SPY (0.3) in the period of the last 3 years, the risk / return profile (Sharpe) of 0.04 is smaller, thus worse.

Sortino:

'The Sortino ratio, a variation of the Sharpe ratio only factors in the downside, or negative volatility, rather than the total volatility used in calculating the Sharpe ratio. The theory behind the Sortino variation is that upside volatility is a plus for the investment, and it, therefore, should not be included in the risk calculation. Therefore, the Sortino ratio takes upside volatility out of the equation and uses only the downside standard deviation in its calculation instead of the total standard deviation that is used in calculating the Sharpe ratio.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.49) in the period of the last 5 years, the downside risk / excess return profile of 0.23 of SPDR Gold Trust is lower, thus worse.
• During the last 3 years, the downside risk / excess return profile is 0.05, which is smaller, thus worse than the value of 0.4 from the benchmark.

Ulcer:

'The ulcer index is a stock market risk measure or technical analysis indicator devised by Peter Martin in 1987, and published by him and Byron McCann in their 1989 book The Investors Guide to Fidelity Funds. It's designed as a measure of volatility, but only volatility in the downward direction, i.e. the amount of drawdown or retracement occurring over a period. Other volatility measures like standard deviation treat up and down movement equally, but a trader doesn't mind upward movement, it's the downside that causes stress and stomach ulcers that the index's name suggests.'

• The Ulcer Index over 5 years of SPDR Gold Trust is 9.12 , which is greater, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (7.61 ) in the same period.
• Looking at Ulcer Ratio in of 11 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively higher, thus worse in comparison to SPY (8.93 ).

MaxDD:

'Maximum drawdown measures the loss in any losing period during a fund’s investment record. It is defined as the percent retrenchment from a fund’s peak value to the fund’s valley value. The drawdown is in effect from the time the fund’s retrenchment begins until a new fund high is reached. The maximum drawdown encompasses both the period from the fund’s peak to the fund’s valley (length), and the time from the fund’s valley to a new fund high (recovery). It measures the largest percentage drawdown that has occurred in any fund’s data record.'

• Looking at the maximum DrawDown of -22 days in the last 5 years of SPDR Gold Trust, we see it is relatively greater, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (-33.7 days)
• Looking at maximum DrawDown in of -22 days in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively higher, thus better in comparison to SPY (-33.7 days).

MaxDuration:

'The Maximum Drawdown Duration is an extension of the Maximum Drawdown. However, this metric does not explain the drawdown in dollars or percentages, rather in days, weeks, or months. It is the length of time the account was in the Max Drawdown. A Max Drawdown measures a retrenchment from when an equity curve reaches a new high. It’s the maximum an account lost during that retrenchment. This method is applied because a valley can’t be measured until a new high occurs. Once the new high is reached, the percentage change from the old high to the bottom of the largest trough is recorded.'

• The maximum days below previous high over 5 years of SPDR Gold Trust is 540 days, which is higher, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (185 days) in the same period.
• Compared with SPY (185 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum days below previous high of 540 days is greater, thus worse.

AveDuration:

'The Average Drawdown Duration is an extension of the Maximum Drawdown. However, this metric does not explain the drawdown in dollars or percentages, rather in days, weeks, or months. The Avg Drawdown Duration is the average amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs), or in other terms the average of time under water of all drawdowns. So in contrast to the Maximum duration it does not measure only one drawdown event but calculates the average of all.'

• The average days under water over 5 years of SPDR Gold Trust is 180 days, which is larger, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (46 days) in the same period.
• During the last 3 years, the average time in days below previous high water mark is 210 days, which is greater, thus worse than the value of 44 days from the benchmark.