Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
GLD vs IEI: how they differ
GLD is a commodity fund and IEI a bond index fund, and over the year GLD returned more, +19.1% against −1.0%.
SPDR Gold Shares and iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF.
| GLD SPDR Gold Shares | IEI iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | iShares |
| What it is | Gold | 3-7 Year Treasury Bond |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.1% | −1.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.6 pts | −18.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.40% | 0.15% |
| Holdings | not filed | 83 |
GLD in plain words
GLD is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.40% a year. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
IEI in plain words
IEI is a bond fund tracking the 3-7 Year Treasury Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −1.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 3.0% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GLD or IEI?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +19.1% and IEI returned −1.0%, so GLD returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, GLD or IEI?
- GLD charges 0.40% a year and IEI charges 0.15%, so IEI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
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Cite this page. ETFIQ, GLD against IEI, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/GLD-IEI Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources