iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT): Historical Returns

Last Update: 31 Aug 2021

Category: Fixed Income

ETF: iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT)

In the last 10 years, the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) ETF obtained a 5.94% compound annual return, with a 12.67% standard deviation.

In the last 20 years, a 6.68% compound annual return, with a 12.89% standard deviation.

In 2020, the portfolio granted a 1.76% dividend yield. If you are interested in getting periodic income, please refer to the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT): Dividend Yield page.

The ETF is related to the following investment themes:

Asset Class: Bond
Region: North America
Country: U.S.
Bond - Duration: Long-Term

The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) ETF is present in the following Lazy Portfolios:

Portfolio Name	Author	ETF Weight
Rob Arnott Portfolio	Rob Arnott	10.0%
All Weather Portfolio	Ray Dalio	40.0%
Permanent Portfolio	Harry Browne	25.0%
Yale Endowment	David Swensen	15.0%
Golden Butterfly		20.0%
Family Taxable Portfolio	Ted Aronson	10.0%
Paul Boyer Permanent Portfolio	Paul Boyer	25.0%
GAA Global Asset Allocation	Meb Faber	13.5%

Capital Growth and Historical Returns

Capital growth, returns, stats are calculated assuming a reinvestment of dividends.

If you are interested in getting periodic income, please refer to the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT): Dividend Yield page.

Capital Growth:

ETF Returns, up to December 2002, are simulated. They have been calculated using the historical series of equivalent ETFs / Assets.

Swipe left to see all data

Period	Returns Aug 2021	Standard Deviation *	Max Drawdown	Months Pos - Neg
1M	-0.34%		-0.34% Aug 2021 - Aug 2021	0 - 1
3M	+7.93%		-0.34% Aug 2021 - Aug 2021	2 - 1
6M	+4.82%		-5.24% Mar 2021 - Mar 2021	4 - 2
YTD	-4.78%		-13.91% Jan 2021 - Mar 2021	4 - 4
1Y	-6.90%	11.22%	-16.49% Oct 2020 - Mar 2021	6 - 6
3Y	+9.26% annualized	13.89%	-20.10% Aug 2020 - Mar 2021	20 - 16
5Y	+3.48% annualized	12.30%	-20.10% Aug 2020 - Mar 2021	32 - 28
10Y	+5.94% annualized	12.67%	-20.10% Aug 2020 - Mar 2021	62 - 58
MAX 01 Jan 1978	+8.49% annualized	11.91%	-23.13% Jul 1979 - Sep 1981	306 - 218

* Annualized St.Dev. of monthly returns

Readings that may interest you

ETF Investing: The Beginners Guide to Create Passive Income and Achieve ...

5 Day Weekend: Freedom to Make Your Life and Work Rich with Purpose

Purposeful Retirement: How to Bring Happiness and Meaning to Your Retirement ...

Drawdowns

Drawdonws Chart:

Worst drawdowns since August 2001.

Swipe left to see all data

	Drawdown period			Recovery period		Total
Drawdown	Start	Bottom	#Months	End	#Months	#Months
-21.79%	Jan 2009	Dec 2009	12	Sep 2011	21	33
-20.10%	Aug 2020	Mar 2021	8	in progress	5	13
-18.03%	Aug 2012	Dec 2013	17	Nov 2014	11	28
-15.07%	Aug 2016	Oct 2018	27	May 2019	7	34
-14.18%	Feb 2015	Jun 2015	5	Jun 2016	12	17
-11.60%	Jun 2003	Jul 2003	2	Oct 2004	15	17
-9.73%	Jul 2005	May 2006	11	Nov 2006	6	17
-8.20%	Nov 2001	Mar 2002	5	Jul 2002	4	9
-7.22%	Sep 2019	Dec 2019	4	Feb 2020	2	6
-7.02%	Jan 2012	Mar 2012	3	May 2012	2	5
-5.10%	Apr 2008	May 2008	2	Sep 2008	4	6
-4.47%	Dec 2006	Jun 2007	7	Aug 2007	2	9
-3.84%	Oct 2011	Oct 2011	1	Dec 2011	2	3
-3.79%	Oct 2002	Nov 2002	2	Dec 2002	1	3
-2.39%	Nov 2004	Nov 2004	1	Dec 2004	1	2
-1.91%	Feb 2005	Mar 2005	2	Apr 2005	1	3
-1.86%	Oct 2008	Oct 2008	1	Nov 2008	1	2
-1.76%	May 2020	May 2020	1	Jul 2020	2	3
-1.68%	Jun 2012	Jun 2012	1	Jul 2012	1	2
-1.37%	Mar 2003	Mar 2003	1	May 2003	2	3

Worst drawdowns since December 1977.

Swipe left to see all data

	Drawdown period			Recovery period		Total
Drawdown	Start	Bottom	#Months	End	#Months	#Months
-23.13%	Jul 1979	Sep 1981	27	Aug 1982	11	38
-21.79%	Jan 2009	Dec 2009	12	Sep 2011	21	33
-20.10%	Aug 2020	Mar 2021	8	in progress	5	13
-18.03%	Aug 2012	Dec 2013	17	Nov 2014	11	28
-15.07%	Aug 2016	Oct 2018	27	May 2019	7	34
-14.18%	Feb 2015	Jun 2015	5	Jun 2016	12	17
-13.95%	May 1983	May 1984	13	Sep 1984	4	17
-12.25%	Mar 1987	Sep 1987	7	Feb 1988	5	12
-11.60%	Jun 2003	Jul 2003	2	Oct 2004	15	17
-11.07%	Feb 1994	Oct 1994	9	May 1995	7	16
-9.73%	Jul 2005	May 2006	11	Nov 2006	6	17
-9.55%	Oct 1998	Dec 1999	15	Aug 2000	8	23
-8.94%	Jan 1996	May 1996	5	Nov 1996	6	11
-8.20%	Nov 2001	Mar 2002	5	Jul 2002	4	9
-7.22%	Sep 2019	Dec 2019	4	Feb 2020	2	6
-7.02%	Jan 2012	Mar 2012	3	May 2012	2	5
-6.99%	Dec 1989	Apr 1990	5	Jul 1990	3	8
-5.35%	Dec 1996	Mar 1997	4	Jul 1997	4	8
-5.10%	Apr 2008	May 2008	2	Sep 2008	4	6
-4.89%	Mar 1988	May 1988	3	Sep 1988	4	7

Rolling Returns ( more details)

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) ETF: annualized rolling and average returns

Swipe left to see all data

	*Return ()**			Negative Periods
Rolling Period	Average	Best	Worst	Negative Periods
1 Year	+9.48%	+67.15% Apr 1985 - Mar 1986	-21.80% Jan 2009 - Dec 2009	22.42%
2 Years	+9.24%	+49.11% Jul 1984 - Jun 1986	-11.41% Oct 1979 - Sep 1981	10.78%
3 Years	+9.19%	+30.06% Sep 1983 - Aug 1986	-7.05% Oct 1978 - Sep 1981	4.91%
5 Years	+9.40%	+28.14% Sep 1981 - Aug 1986	+0.31% Jan 2009 - Dec 2013	0.00%
7 Years	+9.49%	+20.15% Oct 1981 - Sep 1988	+2.29% Oct 2011 - Sep 2018	0.00%
10 Years	+9.34%	+17.64% Oct 1981 - Sep 1991	+3.27% Jan 2009 - Dec 2018	0.00%
15 Years	+9.12%	+14.59% Oct 1981 - Sep 1996	+5.46% Jun 2003 - May 2018	0.00%
20 Years	+9.04%	+13.28% Oct 1981 - Sep 2001	+5.76% Nov 1998 - Oct 2018	0.00%

* Annualized rolling and average returns over full calendar month periods

If you need a deeper detail about rolling returns, please refer to the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) ETF: Rolling Returns page.

Seasonality and Yearly/Monthly Returns

In the table below, for the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) ETF, the average monthly return is represented.

Below each return, it's also mentioned the probability of obtaining a positive monthly result (Win %).

Both the Average Return and the Gain Frequency are useful to get an idea of what happened in the past.

Swipe left to see all data

	Monthly Average Return (%) and Gain Frequency
Return (%)	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average Win %	0.43 59%	-0.01 50%	0.21 48%	0.31 57%	1.08 57%	1.31 70%	0.60 57%	1.60 61%	0.78 63%	0.30 49%	1.30 74%	0.99 56%
Best Year	9.8 2015	12.6 1986	10.6 1986	13.5 1980	9.1 1985	6.9 2016	7.0 1984	11.0 2019	13.2 2011	7.8 1982	14.3 2008	13.6 2008
Worst Year	-13.1 2009	-8.3 1980	-5.2 2021	-7.0 2009	-6.8 2013	-4.1 2015	-10.0 2003	-5.1 2020	-4.0 1986	-8.0 1979	-8.2 2016	-6.3 2009

For further information about the seasonality, check the Asset Class Seasonality page.

Investing in iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond (TLT) ETF: detail of monthly returns

Swipe left to see all data

		Months
Year	Return	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2021	-4.78%	-3.6	-5.7	-5.2	2.5	0.0	4.4	3.7	-0.3
2020	+18.15%	7.7	6.6	6.4	1.2	-1.8	0.3	4.4	-5.1	0.8	-3.4	1.7	-1.2
2019	+14.12%	0.4	-1.4	5.6	-2.0	6.8	1.0	0.3	11.0	-2.7	-1.1	-0.4	-3.2
2018	-1.61%	-3.3	-3.0	2.9	-2.1	2.0	0.7	-1.4	1.3	-2.9	-2.9	1.8	5.9
2017	+9.18%	0.8	1.6	-0.7	1.6	1.9	0.8	-0.7	3.4	-2.3	0.0	0.7	1.8
2016	+1.18%	5.6	3.1	-0.1	-0.7	0.8	6.9	2.1	-1.0	-1.5	-4.4	-8.2	-0.5
2015	-1.79%	9.8	-6.1	1.1	-3.4	-2.4	-4.1	4.6	-0.7	2.0	-0.4	-0.9	-0.3
2014	+27.30%	6.3	0.5	0.7	2.1	3.0	-0.3	0.7	4.7	-2.1	2.8	3.0	3.3
2013	-13.37%	-3.2	1.2	-0.4	4.7	-6.8	-3.3	-2.3	-1.3	0.7	1.4	-2.7	-1.9
2012	+2.63%	-0.3	-2.6	-4.2	4.8	9.0	-1.7	3.8	-1.3	-2.5	-0.5	1.4	-2.5
2011	+33.96%	-3.1	1.7	0.0	2.3	3.4	-2.3	4.4	9.7	13.2	-3.8	2.0	3.4
2010	+9.05%	2.7	-0.3	-2.1	3.3	5.1	5.8	-1.0	8.4	-2.5	-4.5	-1.7	-3.7
2009	-21.80%	-13.1	-1.5	4.0	-7.0	-3.7	0.8	0.6	2.2	2.5	-2.6	1.2	-6.3
2008	+33.93%	2.1	-0.5	2.1	-2.5	-2.7	2.7	-0.4	2.7	1.5	-1.9	14.3	13.6
2007	+10.29%	-1.0	3.4	-1.7	0.9	-2.3	-1.0	3.3	1.8	0.2	1.8	5.4	-0.6
2006	+0.71%	-1.3	1.1	-4.6	-2.8	-0.2	1.2	2.2	3.1	1.9	0.9	2.3	-2.7
2005	+8.61%	3.6	-1.5	-0.5	3.9	3.1	2.2	-3.4	3.5	-3.6	-2.2	0.7	3.0
2004	+8.71%	1.9	2.3	1.4	-6.2	-0.3	1.1	1.5	4.2	1.0	1.8	-2.4	2.7
2003	+1.62%	-0.6	3.1	-1.4	1.1	6.3	-1.8	-10.0	1.3	5.9	-3.0	0.3	1.4
2002	+16.67%	1.2	1.2	-3.9	3.7	0.4	1.8	2.9	4.3	4.0	-2.8	-1.0	4.1
2001	+4.31%	0.3	1.8	-0.6	-2.6	0.2	0.8	3.6	2.0	0.9	5.1	-5.1	-1.8
2000	+19.72%	1.3	3.0	3.1	-0.7	-0.5	2.3	1.5	2.1	-0.9	1.6	3.0	2.5
1999	-8.66%	1.0	-4.8	-0.3	0.2	-1.6	-1.1	-0.6	-0.5	0.9	0.1	-0.6	-1.6
1998	+13.05%	1.9	-0.8	0.1	0.4	1.8	2.4	-0.5	4.8	3.3	-1.7	0.9	-0.2
1997	+13.90%	-0.7	-0.1	-2.3	2.4	1.0	1.8	5.3	-2.6	2.6	3.0	1.3	1.7
1996	-1.26%	-0.1	-4.9	-2.0	-1.8	-0.5	2.1	-0.1	-1.3	2.8	3.9	3.2	-2.4
1995	+30.09%	2.6	2.7	0.7	1.7	7.5	1.1	-1.4	2.1	1.8	3.0	2.3	2.7
1994	-7.04%	2.2	-4.0	-3.8	-1.3	-0.5	-0.8	2.9	-0.7	-3.0	-0.4	0.6	1.6
1993	+16.78%	2.9	3.2	0.2	0.8	0.4	4.2	1.4	4.0	0.3	0.6	-2.5	0.4
1992	+7.41%	-3.2	0.6	-1.1	-0.1	2.7	1.1	4.0	0.7	1.4	-1.9	0.5	2.6
1991	+17.43%	1.1	0.5	0.3	1.3	-0.1	-0.8	1.5	3.5	3.0	-0.1	0.0	6.3
1990	+5.78%	-3.7	-0.3	-0.3	-2.8	4.5	2.3	0.7	-4.3	1.2	2.2	4.6	2.1
1989	+17.93%	2.1	-1.7	0.9	2.6	3.1	6.1	2.1	-2.9	0.2	3.9	0.8	-0.1
1988	+9.15%	4.7	1.2	-2.2	-1.1	-1.6	4.1	-1.9	0.4	3.9	2.5	-1.9	1.3
1987	-2.92%	1.3	1.1	-1.6	-4.8	-1.5	1.4	-1.1	-1.6	-3.7	5.8	0.5	1.6
1986	+30.87%	0.1	12.6	10.6	0.3	-2.5	6.7	-2.0	3.7	-4.0	0.5	3.0	-0.3
1985	+36.90%	3.8	-4.7	3.2	2.3	9.1	1.9	-1.2	2.9	0.1	3.6	4.9	6.8
1984	+16.24%	1.7	-1.9	-1.9	-1.5	-5.9	2.6	7.0	3.9	2.9	6.3	1.5	1.3
1983	-1.29%	-4.0	5.3	-0.7	3.7	-4.3	0.6	-5.6	-0.3	5.4	-1.8	1.9	-0.7
1982	+47.10%	-0.7	1.7	2.2	3.3	1.1	-2.6	4.7	8.3	6.9	7.8	3.7	3.4
1981	+0.65%	-1.4	-4.2	3.6	-6.1	5.6	-0.7	-3.5	-4.3	-1.4	7.0	12.2	-4.2
1980	-4.99%	-7.7	-8.3	0.6	13.5	5.7	4.5	-6.4	-3.1	-2.6	-3.2	0.3	3.8
1979	-2.10%	1.9	-1.6	1.4	-1.3	2.2	3.4	-0.9	-0.3	-0.9	-8.0	1.8	0.7
1978	-1.55%	-1.0	-0.1	-0.2	0.0	-0.5	-0.6	1.4	1.8	-0.9	-2.0	1.5	-0.9

ETF Returns, up to December 2002, are simulated. They have been calculated using the historical series of equivalent ETFs / Assets.