LETF Baseline: SSO / ZROZ / GLD

Name: LETF Baseline: SSO / ZROZ / GLD, Backtest Time Series
Creator: BestFolio
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

A popular 2x leveraged static portfolio: 50% SSO (2x S&P 500), 25% ZROZ (extended-duration Treasuries), 25% GLD (gold). Backtest max drawdown: -50.0%.

Research and methodology

A popular 2x leveraged static portfolio: 50% SSO (2x S&P 500), 25% ZROZ (extended-duration Treasuries), 25% GLD (gold). Backtest max drawdown: -50.0%. This is a fixed-allocation portfolio. BestFolio supplies the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access. Users review the published signal and place any resulting trades in their own brokerage. Displayed returns remain hypothetical and do not represent a customer's brokerage record. The dates below identify the available data and the next scheduled review.

Cadence:: Quarterly
Data through:: Backtest data through 2026-09-18; latest signal date not currently published.
History boundary:: Backtest simulation only; no live publication yet
Published result:: Engine daily-reset-v1, data version e0f94849, published 2026-09-10

Rule / approach: A popular 2x leveraged static portfolio: 50% SSO (2x S&P 500), 25% ZROZ (extended-duration Treasuries), 25% GLD (gold).
BestFolio supplies: The quarterly signal email and this strategy page; current signals and email alerts require Pro access.
Customer action: Trade date not currently published. Review the published signal before placing any trades in your own brokerage.
Costs and exclusions: Backtests are net of a modeled one-way transaction cost (10 bps, scaled up to 3x under stress); taxes, fund-expense drift, or market impact are not modeled. No tax, no slippage beyond the stated cost. Methodology limitations
Freshness: Signal data cutoff not currently published. Backtest data through 2026-09-18; latest signal date not currently published.
Next expected action: Next review not currently published.

Is LETF Baseline: SSO / ZROZ / GLD still working in 2026?

LETF Baseline: SSO / ZROZ / GLD returned 17.28% over the trailing 12 months and 94.86% over 36 months through 2026-09-18, compared with a full-backtest annualized return of 12.16%. Its full-backtest maximum drawdown was -50.01%. The full sample contains 10244 daily NAV observations from 1986-06-30. These are model results, not investor account returns or a promise. Recent returns do not establish that the strategy will keep working.

SSO / ZROZ / GLD (50/25/25), USD model NAV. Trailing returns are cumulative; CAGR is annualized. All drawdowns use daily closes.
Period	Return	CAGR	Max drawdown	Observations	Dates
Trailing 12 months	17.28%	Not annualized	-13.11%	252	2025-09-18 to 2026-09-18
Trailing 36 months	94.86%	Not annualized	-18.66%	754	2023-09-18 to 2026-09-18
Full backtest	9998.21%	12.16%	-50.01%	10244	1986-06-30 to 2026-09-18

Last verified Sep 18, 2026

Are these live investor returns?

No. These are the latest model NAV results from the published backtest. A recent date alone does not make a result an independently observed live record. Investor costs, taxes and execution can differ.

Why can a strategy lag for a year?

A tactical model can hold defensive assets during a rally or change positions during reversals. A short window can differ substantially from its full history. Compare cumulative returns over matching dates and inspect drawdowns as well.

Where can I check the signals behind these results?

The Signal History card on this strategy page shows dated model decisions for the selected variant, subject to its access tier. The methodology page explains the backtest assumptions.