When holding the Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) ETF, how long should you stay invested to have high probability to achieve a positive return?

Over the selected period (~28 years), the longest duration with a negative return was 185 months (from October 2000 to February 2016).

This indicates that, within the same timeframe, any rolling period of 186 months or more has consistently resulted in a positive return.

Understanding this metric is crucial as it highlights the importance of a safe investment horizon. Knowing the minimum duration required to likely see positive returns helps investors set realistic expectations and reinforces the strategy of staying invested through market cycles. This approach can mitigate the emotional reactions to short-term market fluctuations and enhance the likelihood of achieving financial goals.

Rolling Returns

A rolling return is a measure of investment performance that calculates the return of an investment over a set period of time, with the starting date rolling forward. This approach can provide a more accurate representation of the investment's historical performance and helps investors to evaluate the investment's consistency over time.

FINANCIAL SELECT SECTOR SPDR (XLF) ETF
Annualized Rolling Returns
Annualized Rolling Returns - Inflation Adjusted
Time Period: 1 July 2006 - 30 June 2026 (20 Years)
Time Period: 1 January 1999 - 30 June 2026 (~28 years)
All Data
(1999/01 - 2026/06)
US Inflation Adjusted:

Loading data
Please wait

Loading data
Please wait

Loading data
Please wait

Loading data
Please wait

Loading data
Please wait

Loading data
Please wait

Rolling Period Analysis

By selecting the 'Rolling Period', the chart and data will update. To study a different date range, change the simulation settings.

FINANCIAL SELECT SECTOR SPDR (XLF) ETF
Rolling Returns Chart
Rolling Returns Chart - Inflation Adjusted
Time Period: 1 January 1999 - 30 June 2026 (~28 years)
Over Time
Histogram
US Inflation Adjusted:

Loading data
Please wait

Loading data
Please wait
Swipe left to see all data
Worst Median Best Negative Periods
-69.38%
Mar 2008 - Feb 2009
+9.50% +97.52%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2010
34.48%
110 out of 319
-69.39%
Mar 2008 - Feb 2009
+6.22% +93.36%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2010
38.56%
123 out of 319
-52.49%
Mar 2007 - Feb 2009
+8.76% +51.34%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2011
23.78%
73 out of 307
-53.44%
Mar 2007 - Feb 2009
+5.90% +48.17%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2011
27.36%
84 out of 307
-36.60%
Mar 2006 - Feb 2009
+9.36% +27.40%
Oct 2011 - Sep 2014
19.32%
57 out of 295
-37.95%
Mar 2006 - Feb 2009
+6.37% +25.42%
Oct 2011 - Sep 2014
26.44%
78 out of 295
-26.81%
Mar 2005 - Feb 2009
+9.13% +25.44%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2013
21.20%
60 out of 283
-28.62%
Mar 2005 - Feb 2009
+5.99% +22.62%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2013
24.03%
68 out of 283
-21.87%
Mar 2004 - Feb 2009
+8.45% +25.42%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2014
22.14%
60 out of 271
-23.88%
Mar 2004 - Feb 2009
+5.98% +22.89%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2014
23.99%
65 out of 271
-13.41%
Mar 2003 - Feb 2009
+7.61% +23.46%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2015
25.87%
67 out of 259
-15.50%
Mar 2003 - Feb 2009
+4.72% +21.40%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2015
29.34%
76 out of 259
-13.79%
Mar 2002 - Feb 2009
+8.63% +18.37%
Oct 2011 - Sep 2018
32.39%
80 out of 247
-15.95%
Mar 2002 - Feb 2009
+5.85% +16.58%
Oct 2011 - Sep 2018
35.63%
88 out of 247
-12.78%
Mar 2001 - Feb 2009
+7.76% +20.91%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2017
39.15%
92 out of 235
-14.82%
Mar 2001 - Feb 2009
+4.88% +18.85%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2017
41.28%
97 out of 235
-8.53%
Apr 2000 - Mar 2009
+3.80% +20.76%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2018
43.95%
98 out of 223
-10.71%
Apr 2000 - Mar 2009
+2.18% +18.63%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2018
47.53%
106 out of 223
-9.00%
Mar 1999 - Feb 2009
+1.40% +17.72%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2019
40.76%
86 out of 211
-11.29%
Mar 1999 - Feb 2009
-0.23% +15.68%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2019
50.24%
106 out of 211
-5.84%
Oct 2000 - Sep 2011
+1.90% +16.23%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2020
24.12%
48 out of 199
-8.09%
Oct 2000 - Sep 2011
-0.14% +14.16%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2020
50.25%
100 out of 199
-3.24%
Dec 1999 - Nov 2011
+2.42% +16.91%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2021
19.25%
36 out of 187
-5.63%
Dec 1999 - Nov 2011
+0.56% +14.84%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2021
40.64%
76 out of 187
-2.46%
Jan 1999 - Dec 2011
+2.59% +17.25%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2022
13.14%
23 out of 175
-4.86%
Jan 1999 - Dec 2011
+0.63% +14.65%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2022
35.43%
62 out of 175
-0.53%
Jan 1999 - Dec 2012
+3.37% +15.47%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2023
3.68%
6 out of 163
-2.92%
Jan 1999 - Dec 2012
+1.34% +12.63%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2023
32.52%
53 out of 163
+0.04%
Feb 2001 - Jan 2016
+3.55% +15.44%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2024
0.00%
0 out of 151
-1.96%
Feb 2001 - Jan 2016
+1.51% +12.56%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2024
21.19%
32 out of 151
+0.81%
Oct 2000 - Sep 2016
+3.79% +16.38%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2025
0.00%
0 out of 139
-1.24%
Oct 2000 - Sep 2016
+1.63% +13.45%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2025
17.99%
25 out of 139
+1.17%
Mar 1999 - Feb 2016
+3.78% +15.34%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2026
0.00%
0 out of 127
-0.98%
Mar 1999 - Feb 2016
+1.48% +12.45%
Mar 2009 - Feb 2026
7.09%
9 out of 127
+1.77%
Apr 2002 - Mar 2020
+4.22% +8.81%
Jul 2008 - Jun 2026
0.00%
0 out of 115
-0.29%
Apr 2002 - Mar 2020
+1.89% +6.27%
Jul 2008 - Jun 2026
1.74%
2 out of 115
+1.88%
Apr 2001 - Mar 2020
+4.47% +6.59%
Apr 2003 - Mar 2022
0.00%
0 out of 103
-0.15%
Apr 2001 - Mar 2020
+2.02% +4.21%
Oct 2002 - Sep 2021
0.97%
1 out of 103
+2.17%
Nov 2000 - Oct 2020
+4.93% +6.27%
Sep 2005 - Aug 2025
0.00%
0 out of 91
+0.13%
Oct 2000 - Sep 2020
+2.37% +3.66%
Oct 2005 - Sep 2025
0.00%
0 out of 91
+4.57%
May 1999 - Apr 2024
+5.47% +6.76%
Mar 2000 - Feb 2025
0.00%
0 out of 31
+1.94%
May 1999 - Apr 2024
+2.89% +4.09%
Mar 2000 - Feb 2025
0.00%
0 out of 31
LazyPortfolioETF.com Logo
Your practical guide to Building Wealth.
Master ETF Investing & maximize profits with Lazy Portfolios & Passive Strategies.