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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 XOP: how they differ

IAU and XOP are both commodity funds, and over the year XOP returned more, +52.4% against +19.2%.

iShares Gold Trust and State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF.

IAU and XOP on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
XOP
State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssueriSharesState Street
What it isGoldSPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production
Total return, 1 year+19.2%+52.4%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500+1.7 pts+34.9 pts
Expense ratio0.25%0.35%
Holdingsnot filed51

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.

XOP in plain words

XOP is a commodity fund tracking the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +52.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. It sat 26.8% below its high of Jun 23, 2014 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IAU or XOP?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and XOP returned +52.4%, so XOP returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, IAU or XOP?
IAU charges 0.25% a year and XOP charges 0.35%, 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 XOP, 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 XOP, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IAU-XOP Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources