Physical gold ETFs
GLD vs IAU.
SPDR Gold Shares (Gold bullion) against iShares Gold Trust (Gold bullion) — fees, long-horizon total returns, holdings overlap, and sector tilt, side by side.
Performance · total returndaily bars · as of 2026-07-16
| GLD | IAU | SPREAD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| YTD (cumulative) | -7.91% | -7.85% | -0.06 pp |
| 1Y CAGR | +18.4% | +18.5% | -0.13 pp |
| 3Y CAGR | +26.2% | +26.4% | -0.19 pp |
| 5Y CAGR | +16.6% | +16.8% | -0.16 pp |
| 10Y CAGR | +11.1% | +11.3% | -0.15 pp |
| Since inception CAGR | +10.2% | +10.6% | -0.42 pp |
Total return: dividend- and split-adjusted daily closes (distributions reinvested). Spread is GLD minus IAU. GLD since-inception measured from first available bar November 18, 2004. IAU since-inception measured from first available bar January 28, 2005. Since-inception spans differ — compare that row with care.
Fund facts
| GLD | IAU | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | SPDR Gold Shares | iShares Gold Trust |
| Category | Commodities Focused | Commodities Focused |
| Style | Passive | Passive |
| Expense ratio | 0.4% | 0.25% |
| Assets (AUM) | $130.1B | $60.1B |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Avg volume (3-mo) | 7.0M | 6.0M |
| Inception | November 18, 2004 | January 21, 2005 |
| Benchmark proxy | LBMA Gold Price | LBMA Gold Price |
IAU costs 0.15 pp less per year — about $15.00 per $10,000 invested.
Holdings overlap
The provider doesn't break out holdings for GLD — overlap can't be computed.
More physical gold etfs
ALAN GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE · alanglobalintelligence.comdaily bars as of 2026-07-16 · fund facts · issuer-verified · holdings · fund data provider
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For information and research only. Not investment advice. ALAN does not place trades or execute orders. Figures come from the sources shown and can lag the market; verify independently before making decisions. Past performance is not predictive of future results.