Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
BIL vs GLD: how they differ
BIL is a short-term Treasury fund and GLD a commodity fund, and over the year GLD returned more, +19.1% against +3.7%.
SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF and SPDR Gold Shares.
| BIL SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF | GLD SPDR Gold Shares | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | 1-3 month T-bills | Gold |
| Total return, 1 year | +3.7% | +19.1% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −13.8 pts | +1.6 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.40% |
BIL in plain words
BIL is a cash and treasury bills tracking the 1-3 month T-bills. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year.
GLD in plain words
GLD is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.1% 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. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BIL or GLD?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BIL returned +3.7% and GLD returned +19.1%, so GLD returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, BIL or GLD?
- BIL charges 0.14% a year and GLD charges 0.40%, so BIL 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, BIL against GLD, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/bil-vs-gld Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources