Gold vs Microsoft: which won?
Microsoft crushed Gold since 1986 — more than 213× as much.
Microsoft
Winner$2,298,471
2,298× · +21.7%/yr
gold
Runner-up$10,803
10.8× · +6.2%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1986 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Microsoft | gold | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $2,298,471 | $10,803 |
| Total return | 2,298× | 10.8× |
| Annual return | +21.7% | +6.2% |
| Best single year | +47% (1987) | +20% (1999) |
| Worst single year | −34% (2000) | −17% (2008) |
| Deepest drop | −72.3% | −48.2% |
| The ride | Remarkably smooth ride | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1986 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Microsoft stake is worth about $2,298,471 — a 2,298× return, or roughly +21.7% a year. The same money in Gold grew to about $10,803 (10.8×). Microsoft wins this window decisively: more than 213× as much, or about $2,287,667 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Microsoft's path was a remarkably smooth ride, while Gold was a remarkably smooth ride. So Microsoft's win came with the bigger stomach test: more upside, but you had to sit through sharper swings to collect it.
Neither was a straight line. Microsoft's ugliest calendar year was −34% (2000) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −72.3%, recovered by 2014. Gold bottomed at −17% (2008) with a deepest drop of −48.2%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 0.0% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was Gold or Microsoft a better investment since 1986?
- Over 1986–2026, Microsoft was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $2,298,471 (2,298×), versus about $10,803 (10.8×) for Gold — more than 213× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Microsoft be worth versus Gold?
- Starting at the end of 1986, $1,000 in Microsoft would be worth about $2,298,471 today, and in Gold about $10,803 — a difference of roughly $2,287,667 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Gold or Microsoft?
- Microsoft was the wilder ride — remarkably smooth ride — with a deepest fall of −72.3%, while Gold was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −48.2%).
- Did Microsoft always beat Gold?
- No. This compares a single start year (1986, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.