Data as of Sep 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
GLD vs VYM
SPDR Gold Shares and Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund.
| GLD SPDR Gold Shares | VYM Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core fund | Core fund |
| Issuer | State Street | Vanguard |
| What it is | Gold | US high dividend |
| Total return, 1 year | +24.5% | +20.9% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +20.0% | +20.0% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +4.5 pts | +0.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | not published | 0.04% |
| Holdings | n/a | 608 |
GLD in plain words
GLD is a commodity fund tracking Gold. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +24.5% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. It sat 18.0% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 4, 2026.
VYM in plain words
VYM is a index equity fund tracking US high dividend. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +20.9% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 608 positions, with the top ten at 25.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GLD or VYM?
- In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +24.5% and VYM returned +20.9%, so GLD returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
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Where these figures came from
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Cite this page. ETFIQ, GLD against VYM, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/GLD-VYM.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources