Get the weekly note

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

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

IAU vs IYW: how they differ

IAU is a commodity fund and IYW an equity index fund, and over the year IYW returned more, +34.9% against +19.2%.

iShares Gold Trust and iShares U.S. Technology ETF.

IAU and IYW on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
IYW
iShares U.S. Technology ETF
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssueriSharesiShares
What it isGoldU.S. Technology
Total return, 1 year+19.2%+34.9%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500+1.7 pts+17.4 pts
Expense ratio0.25%0.37%
Holdingsnot filed139

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.

IYW in plain words

IYW is an index equity fund tracking the U.S. Technology. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +34.9% 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, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 139 positions, with the top ten at 63.7%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IAU or IYW?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and IYW returned +34.9%, so IYW returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, IAU or IYW?
IAU charges 0.25% a year and IYW charges 0.37%, so IAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where to next

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.

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

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources