Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IAU vs USO: how they differ
IAU and USO are both commodity funds, and over the year USO returned more, +112.2% against +19.2%.
iShares Gold Trust and United States Oil Fund, LP.
| IAU iShares Gold Trust | USO United States Oil Fund, LP | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | United |
| What it is | Gold | Oil |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +112.2% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.7 pts | +94.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | not published |
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.
USO in plain words
USO is a commodity fund tracking the Oil. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +112.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. It sat 57.1% below its high of Apr 8, 2011 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IAU or USO?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and USO returned +112.2%, so USO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
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 USO, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IAU-USO Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources