SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD) has outperformed the market over the past 5 years by 9.46% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 21.41%. Currently, SPDR Gold Shares has a market capitalization of $173.37 billion.

Buying $100 In GLD: If an investor had bought $100 of GLD stock 5 years ago, it would be worth $264.67 today based on a price of $456.35 for GLD at the time of writing.

SPDR Gold Shares's Performance Over Last 5 Years

Finally -- what's the point of all this? The key insight to take from this article is to note how much of a difference compounded returns can make in your cash growth over a period of time.

This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.