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Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility
Diversification

Asset Allocation


VGIT 60.00%IAU 10.00%VTI 30.00%BondBondCommodityCommodityEquityEquity

Benchmark: S&P 500 Index · Rebalance: Every 3 months

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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends. The portfolio is rebalanced Every 3 months.


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Benchmark

Compare your portfolio against anything

Returns By Period

As of Aug 3, 2026, the Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio returned 2.98% Year-To-Date and 6.50% of annualized return in the last 10 years.


Position1D1M6MYTD1Y3Y*5Y*10Y*ALL TIME*
Benchmark
S&P 500 Index
1.48%1.57%8.95%11.03%21.84%19.28%11.54%13.29%8.11%
Portfolio
Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio
0.56%-0.12%1.63%2.98%10.12%11.12%5.34%6.50%6.61%
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
0.03%-1.70%-13.00%-6.14%20.38%27.49%17.16%11.45%10.71%
VGIT
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF
0.16%-0.60%-0.43%-0.61%1.28%3.67%-0.25%1.13%2.14%
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
1.53%1.38%9.81%12.18%23.70%20.38%12.06%14.66%9.64%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 23, 2009, Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio's average daily return is +0.03%, while the average monthly return is +0.54%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 10.7 years.

Historically, 67% of months were positive and 33% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +4.9%, while the worst month was Sep 2022 at -5.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 11 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.

On a daily basis, Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio closed higher 56% of trading days. The best single day was Nov 10, 2022 with a return of +3.0%, while the worst single day was Mar 12, 2020 at -2.9%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20261.67%1.80%-3.71%2.95%1.53%-1.20%-0.51%0.56%2.98%
20251.93%0.76%-0.40%1.10%1.35%2.33%0.37%2.13%2.39%1.36%1.10%0.09%15.46%
20240.36%0.73%2.16%-2.21%2.42%1.51%2.52%1.57%1.81%-1.23%2.13%-1.76%10.30%
20234.08%-2.73%3.44%0.85%-0.64%1.11%1.28%-0.81%-2.95%-0.57%4.89%3.31%11.46%
2022-2.93%-0.37%-0.88%-4.41%0.00%-2.92%3.68%-3.13%-5.11%1.80%3.94%-2.00%-12.09%
2021-0.69%-0.50%0.34%2.28%1.10%0.09%1.48%0.67%-2.27%1.71%-0.27%1.26%5.26%

Benchmark Metrics

Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio has an annualized alpha of 3.15%, beta of 0.27, and R2 of 0.61 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 23, 2009.

  • This portfolio participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (33.54%) than losses (28.19%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
  • This portfolio generated an annualized alpha of 3.15% versus S&P 500 Index - delivering returns beyond what market exposure alone would predict.
  • Beta of 0.27 indicates this portfolio moves significantly less than S&P 500 Index - a genuinely defensive profile with reduced participation in both market rallies and downturns.

Alpha
3.15%
Beta
0.27
0.61
Upside Capture
33.54%
Downside Capture
28.19%

Expense Ratio

Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio has an expense ratio of 0.05%, which is considered low. Below, you can find the expense ratios of the portfolio's funds side by side and easily compare their relative costs.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio ranks 39 for risk / return — above 39% of Portfolios peers on PortfoliosLab. Its historical combined result is below the peer median.


Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio Risk / Return Rank: 3939
Overall Rank
Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio Sharpe Ratio Rank: 4242
Sharpe Ratio Rank
Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio Sortino Ratio Rank: 4141
Sortino Ratio Rank
Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio Omega Ratio Rank: 4545
Omega Ratio Rank
Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio Calmar Ratio Rank: 3131
Calmar Ratio Rank
Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio Martin Ratio Rank: 3838
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) uses a weighted average of the Sharpe, Sortino, Omega, Calmar, and Martin percentile ranks for the trailing 12 months. Higher means stronger historical risk-adjusted performance within the peer group.

Risk / Return Metrics

The table below presents risk-adjusted performance metrics for Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio and compares them with S&P 500 Index.

Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.


PortfolioBenchmarkDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility

1.55

1.71

-0.16

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk

2.16

2.36

-0.21

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.29

1.31

-0.02

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

1.97

2.41

-0.44

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

7.67

10.22

-2.55


How much return does each position deliver for the risk it carries? Higher values mean better reward for the risk taken.

PositionRisk / Return RankSharpe ratioSortino ratioOmega ratioCalmar ratioMartin ratio
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
28
0.741.081.160.781.67
VGIT
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF
19
0.400.591.070.451.04
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
78
1.822.521.322.6711.50

Sharpe Ratio

The Sharpe ratio helps investors understand how much return they're getting for the level of risk taken. A higher Sharpe ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance, meaning more reward for each unit of risk. Learn how to interpret the Sharpe ratio.

The current Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio Sharpe ratio is 1.55 as of Aug 3, 2026 (the value is recalculated daily), calculated over the past 12 months.

Compared to the broad market, where average Sharpe ratios range from 1.18 to 2.01, this portfolio's current Sharpe ratio falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles. This indicates that its risk-adjusted performance is in line with the majority of portfolios, suggesting a balanced approach to risk and return—likely suitable for a wide range of investors.

The chart below shows the rolling Sharpe ratio of Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio compared to the selected benchmark. This view highlights how the investment's risk-adjusted performance has changed over time.


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Dividends

Dividend yield

Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio provided a 2.65% dividend yield over the last twelve months.


PositionTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Portfolio2.65%2.61%2.58%2.07%1.54%1.38%1.77%1.87%1.84%1.52%1.59%1.61%
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%
VGIT
Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF
3.90%3.79%3.67%2.73%1.74%1.69%2.23%2.24%2.05%1.67%1.69%1.69%
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
1.04%1.12%1.27%1.44%1.66%1.21%1.42%1.78%2.04%1.71%1.92%1.98%

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio was 16.15%, occurring on Oct 14, 2022. Recovery took 349 trading sessions.

The current Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio drawdown is 1.70%.


Drawdown

Fall

Recovery

Underwater

Related event

-16.15%Oct 2022
11mo 8d1y 4mo
2y 3moNov 2021 - Mar 2024
Bear market2022
-8.85%Mar 2020
26d1mo 12d
2mo 8dFeb 2020 - Apr 2020
COVID crash2020
-5.15%Mar 2026
25d1mo 10d
2mo 5dMar 2026 - May 2026
-4.37%Apr 2025
1mo 17d20d
2mo 7dFeb 2025 - Apr 2025
2025 selloff2025
-4.26%Dec 2018
3mo 26d1mo 7d
5mo 3dAug 2018 - Jan 2019
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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Diversification

AI Analysis


The gist

The portfolio is a three-part argument for ballast: government bonds carry 60%, U.S. equities 30%, and gold 10%. The assets mostly move independently, which is the point of owning three things instead of one thing with three labels.

The numbers

  • Diversification ratio is 1.37 over one year and 1.61 since inception, ranking from the 57th to 85th percentile on the platform.
  • Average pairwise correlation is just 0.05, with Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) and Vanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF (VGIT) at -0.21.
  • Effective asset count is 2.17 of 3: broadly spread, though the bond allocation still does most of the portfolio’s economic work.

The good

  • VGIT, VTI, and iShares Gold Trust (IAU) form three distinct clusters, rather than one equity trade wearing different costumes.
  • The long-term diversification benefit is meaningful and has held up better than the recent one-year figure.

The bad

  • VTI has the highest portfolio correlation at 0.76, so equity stress remains the portfolio’s clearest common shock.

The ugly

  • A sharp rise in real yields could pressure VGIT and IAU together, removing two diversifiers at once.

Next steps

  • Portfolios with this structure could examine whether their intended ballast is nominal-rate risk, inflation protection, or both.
AI-generated analysis. Not investment advice. Verify key facts independently.
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Diversification Metrics


Number of Effective Assets

The portfolio contains 3 assets, with an effective number of assets of 2.17, reflecting the diversification based on asset allocation. Your capital is well-distributed across most of your holdings, with only mild concentration in a few names. True diversification also depends on the correlations between assets — check the diversification ratio below.


Diversification Ratio
1Y
3Y
5Y
10Y
All Time
Diversification Ratio

1.35

1.47

1.45

1.51

1.61

The portfolio has a diversification ratio of 1.61, in line with the typical range across portfolios.

Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio correlation to the S&P 500 Index

Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio has a 0.82 correlation to S&P 500 Index over the trailing 12 months. This section compares each holding's correlation to the benchmark and to the portfolio.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Focuses on recent behavior, but can change the most.

0.82

Correlation (3Y)
Balances recent behavior with more history.

0.77

Correlation (5Y)
Shows whether the relationship held over a longer period.

0.77

Correlation (10Y)
Provides a long-term view across more market conditions.

0.77

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Nov 23, 2009

0.75


Benchmark Correlations

Correlation vs. S&P 500 Index. VTI has the highest benchmark correlation at 0.99, while VGIT has the lowest at -0.21.

VGIT
-0.21
IAU
0.06
VTI
0.99

Portfolio Correlations

Correlation vs. Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio. VTI has the highest portfolio correlation at 0.76, while VGIT has the lowest at 0.33.

VGIT
0.33
IAU
0.48
VTI
0.76

Asset Correlations Table

See how each holding historically moved in relation to the other holdings, the portfolio, and the selected benchmark.

IAUVGITVTI
IAU1.000.300.07
VGIT0.301.00-0.21
VTI0.07-0.211.00
Based on daily historical returns since Nov 23, 2009
Diversification Analysis

Find what Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio is missing

See which holdings overlap, where Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio is concentrated, and which low-correlation assets could fill the gaps.

Analyze Diversification