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Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

COWZ vs IAU: how they differ

COWZ is an equity index fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year COWZ returned more, +23.4% against +19.2%.

Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF and iShares Gold Trust.

COWZ and IAU on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ
Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssuerPaceriShares
What it isUS Cash Cows 100Gold
Total return, 1 year+23.4%+19.2%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500+5.9 pts+1.7 pts
Expense ratio0.49%0.25%
Holdings100not filed

COWZ in plain words

COWZ is an index equity fund tracking the US Cash Cows 100. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +23.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 100 positions, with the top ten at 21.2%. It sat 3.2% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

IAU in plain words

IAU is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or IAU?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +23.4% and IAU returned +19.2%, so COWZ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, COWZ or IAU?
COWZ charges 0.49% a year and IAU charges 0.25%, so IAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

COWZ against IAU, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, COWZ against IAU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/COWZ-IAU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources