Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IAU vs IYE: how they differ
IAU is a commodity fund and IYE an equity index fund, and over the year IYE returned more, +48.8% against +19.2%.
iShares Gold Trust and iShares U.S. Energy ETF.
| IAU iShares Gold Trust | IYE iShares U.S. Energy ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Gold | U.S. Energy |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +48.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.7 pts | +31.3 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.37% |
| Holdings | not filed | 38 |
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.
IYE in plain words
IYE is an index equity fund tracking the U.S. Energy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +48.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 89% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 38 positions, with the top ten at 69.0%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IAU or IYE?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and IYE returned +48.8%, so IYE returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IAU or IYE?
- IAU charges 0.25% a year and IYE charges 0.37%, so IAU 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, IAU against IYE, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IAU-IYE Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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