GLD vs IAU Our Pick
SPDR® Gold Shares vs iShares Gold Trust
Buy GLD if…
- •You prefer higher liquidity and trading volume
Buy IAU if…
- •You want lower costs (0.25% vs 0.40%)
GLD
IAU
Type
ETF
ETF
Issuer
State Street
BlackRock
Holdings
1
1
Index
—
—
AUM
$141B
$65B
Inception
2004
2005
Key Metrics
Expense Ratio
0.40%
0.25%
Dividend Yield
0.00%
0.00%
Daily Liquidity
14.26M
11.55M
Risk (β)
0.46
0.46
Cost Calculator
$
%
GLD Fees
$0
IAU Fees
$0
Annualized Returns
YTD
+57.79%
+57.98%
1 Year
+59.07%
+59.25%
3 Years
+32.29%
+32.46%
5 Years
+17.70%
+17.88%
10 Years
+14.42%
+14.60%
Top 10 Holdings
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Related Comparisons
Liquidity vs Lower Fees
Both GLD and IAU are doing the same job—tracking the price of physical gold that's sitting in vaults.
The main difference comes down to cost and liquidity:
GLD has a higher expense ratio at 0.40% compared to IAU's 0.25%, which means over time IAU will cost you less in fees. GLD is the OG gold ETF (launched 2004) and is massive with around $96 billion in assets, while IAU came a year later and has about $43 billion. GLD also trades at a higher share price—roughly a tenth of an ounce of gold versus IAU's much lower price point.
The performance is virtually identical. So you choose between higher liquidity and lower fees.
Jan Klosowski
Read blog →
Sector Breakdown
GLD
IAU