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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 JNK: how they differ

IAU is a commodity fund and JNK a bond index fund, and over the year IAU returned more, +19.2% against +3.3%.

iShares Gold Trust and State Street(R) SPDR(R) Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF.

IAU and JNK on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
JNK
State Street(R) SPDR(R) Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssueriSharesState Street
What it isGoldSPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond
Total return, 1 year+19.2%+3.3%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500+1.7 pts−14.2 pts
Expense ratio0.25%0.40%
Holdingsnot filed1198

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.

JNK in plain words

JNK is a bond fund tracking the SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +3.3% 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.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IAU or JNK?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and JNK returned +3.3%, so IAU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, IAU or JNK?
IAU charges 0.25% a year and JNK charges 0.40%, so IAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

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

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources