Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
GLD vs XRT: how they differ
GLD is a commodity fund and XRT an equity index fund, and over the year GLD returned more, +19.1% against −3.0%.
SPDR Gold Shares and State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Retail ETF.
| GLD SPDR Gold Shares | XRT State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Retail ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | Gold | SPDR S&P Retail |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.1% | −3.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.6 pts | −20.6 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.40% | 0.35% |
| Holdings | not filed | 75 |
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.
XRT in plain words
XRT is an index equity fund tracking the SPDR S&P Retail. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −3.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 75 positions, with the top ten at 16.1%. It sat 12.2% below its high of Nov 16, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GLD or XRT?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +19.1% and XRT returned −3.0%, so GLD returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, GLD or XRT?
- GLD charges 0.40% a year and XRT charges 0.35%, so XRT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, GLD against XRT, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/GLD-XRT Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources