Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IAU vs SPYD: how they differ
IAU is a commodity fund and SPYD an equity index fund, and over the year IAU returned more, +19.2% against +12.9%.
iShares Gold Trust and State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) High Dividend ETF.
| IAU iShares Gold Trust | SPYD State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) High Dividend ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | State Street |
| What it is | Gold | SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +12.9% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.7 pts | −4.6 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.07% |
| Holdings | not filed | 78 |
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.
SPYD in plain words
SPYD is an index equity fund tracking the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 78 positions, with the top ten at 15.1%. It sat 4.3% below its high of Aug 24, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IAU or SPYD?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and SPYD returned +12.9%, so IAU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IAU or SPYD?
- IAU charges 0.25% a year and SPYD charges 0.07%, so SPYD 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 SPYD, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IAU-SPYD Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources