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Desert Portfolio Approximation
Today’s Change

A symphony is an automated trading strategy — Learn more about symphonies here

About

A conservative, set-and-forget mix: 60% U.S. Treasuries (IEF), 30% U.S. stocks (VTI), 10% gold (GLD). No market timing—just keep those weights via rebalancing. Seeks steadier performance across conditions but will lag in big stock rallies.
NutHow it works
It keeps a fixed mix: 60% in U.S. Treasury bonds (IEF), 30% in the total U.S. stock market (VTI), and 10% in gold (GLD). It doesn’t time the market or use indicators. The portfolio is rebalanced back to those targets (in this model, daily) whenever weights drift. Why these: bonds aim to cushion stock drops; stocks drive long‑term growth; gold can help in some crises and inflationary periods.
CheckmarkValue prop
Set-and-forget 60/30/10 (Treasuries, U.S. stocks, gold) offers calmer, durable growth. OOS Sharpe 2.48 vs SPY 1.41; max drawdown 4.46% vs 13.73%; Calmar 4.09; annualized return 18.22% vs SPY 29.38%.

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Invest in this strategy
OOS Start Date
Mar 8, 2025
Trading Setting
Daily
Type
Stocks
Category
Static allocation, balanced, diversified, all-weather, conservative, us stocks, us treasuries, gold, low-volatility
Tickers in this symphonyThis symphony trades 3 assets in total
Ticker
Type
GLD
SPDR Gold Trust, SPDR Gold Shares
Stocks
IEF
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF
Stocks
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF
Stocks

FAQ

A Composer symphony is an automated trading strategy that executes trades based on parameters of your choice. Some symphonies are similar to holding one ETF in normal conditions and rotating to a different ETF when market conditions shift, for example a 5% drop in the S&P 500, while others use complex rules with dozens of triggers. However, complex doesn’t always mean better. A simple, well-structured symphony can be just as effective as an intricate one. Learn more about how symphonies work here.

"Desert Portfolio Approximation" is currently performing the same as yesterday today. Performance updates in real time during market hours.

"Desert Portfolio Approximation" is currently allocated toGLD, IEFandVTI. Holdings automatically adjust as market conditions change based on the strategy's rules.

Year-to-date, "Desert Portfolio Approximation" has returned 18.22%. You can adjust the performance chart above to view returns across different time horizons.

The maximum drawdown for "Desert Portfolio Approximation" is 4.46%. The maximum drawdown measures the largest peak-to-trough decline. It's an important metric to evaluate risk and the strategy's behavior during market stress.

To invest in "Desert Portfolio Approximation", simply click the Invest button on this page. You'll need to open an account with Composer if you don't have one yet, then you can start investing. Composer will automatically execute the trades for you based on the strategy's rules. Composer also supports trading individual stocks, ETFs, crypto, and options.