Skip to content
Important: BestFolio provides information for educational purposes only. Nothing on this site constitutes investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Read full disclaimer

Permanent Portfolio (Static)

Permanent Portfolio (Static) is a fixed-allocation portfolio reviewed on a annual cadence. Its hypothetical backtest runs through 2026-08-19. BestFolio supplies the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access. The recorded 1999-09 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical. Users review each scheduled signal and place any resulting trades in their own brokerage. BestFolio does not execute trades or provide personalized investment advice.

Cadence
Annual
Backtest data through
2026-08-19
History boundary
The recorded 1999-09 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical.
Rule / approach
1. Allocate 25% to SPY (prosperity asset) 2. Allocate 25% to TLT (deflation asset) 3. Allocate 25% to GLD (inflation asset) 4. Allocate 25% to SHY (recession/cash asset) 5. Rebalance annually or when drift exceeds threshold
BestFolio supplies
the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access
Customer action
Review each scheduled signal and place any required trades in your own brokerage; BestFolio does not execute orders.
Costs and exclusions
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
Freshness
The latest available backtest ends 2026-08-19. A run timestamp is not exposed here, so no stronger freshness claim is made.
Next expected action
First trading day of 2027 (annual); scheduled 2027-01-04 at 09:30 ET. Review the published signal before placing any trade.

Permanent Portfolio (Static) at a glance

Permanent Portfolio (Static) is a fixed-allocation portfolio by Harry Browne across US Equity, Long-Term Treasuries, Gold, Short-Term Treasuries, rebalanced annual. Backtested 1978-12-29 to 2026-08-19 (47.5 years): 7.9% CAGR, 1.08 Sharpe, -18.6% max drawdown, 6.4% volatility.

Type
Fixed Allocation
Author
Harry Browne
Rebalancing
Annual
Risk
Conservative
Period
1978-12-29 to 2026-08-19
CAGR
7.9%
Sharpe
1.08
Max Drawdown
-18.6%
Volatility
6.4%

Permanent Portfolio (Static) Fixed Allocation Portfolio

The static Permanent Portfolio by Harry Browne divides the portfolio equally (25% each) across four asset classes designed for four economic states: stocks (prosperity), long-term bonds (deflation), gold (inflation), and cash (recession). Pure static version with annual rebalancing, no trend following or SMA filters.

Permanent Portfolio (Static): frequently asked questions

What is Permanent Portfolio (Static)?
Classic 4x25% allocation: stocks, long bonds, gold, and cash. Covers prosperity, deflation, inflation, and recession.
Who created the Permanent Portfolio (Static) strategy?
Permanent Portfolio (Static) was developed by Harry Browne. It is based on Browne, H. Fail-Safe Investing (1999).
What is the historical return and maximum drawdown of Permanent Portfolio (Static)?
Backtested from 1978-12-29 to 2026-08-19, Permanent Portfolio (Static) returned 7.9% CAGR with a -18.6% maximum drawdown and a Sharpe ratio of 1.08. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
How often is Permanent Portfolio (Static) rebalanced?
Permanent Portfolio (Static) is rebalanced annual. BestFolio publishes the updated allocation signal each period.
Is Permanent Portfolio (Static) a fixed or tactical strategy?
Permanent Portfolio (Static) is a fixed-allocation (strategic) portfolio: it holds a set allocation and rebalances on schedule rather than rotating based on market signals.

Backtest Performance (1978-12-29 to 2026-08-19)

MetricPermanent Portfolio (Static)
CAGR7.9%
Max Drawdown-18.6%
Sharpe1.08
Sortino1.75
Volatility6.4%
Calmar0.42
Total Return3562.2%
Backtest Period47.5 years

Strategy Details

Type
Fixed / Strategic
Rebalancing
annual
Risk Level
conservative
Variants
1
Author
Harry Browne
Source
Browne, H. Fail-Safe Investing (1999)

Asset Classes

  • US Equity
  • Long-Term Treasuries
  • Gold
  • Short-Term Treasuries

Track Permanent Portfolio (Static) in Your Portfolio

Sign up for BestFolio to get monthly rebalancing signals, blend strategies into custom portfolios, and receive alerts when allocations change.