Which returned more over the last year, EEM or IAU?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EEM returned +32.3% and IAU returned +19.2%, so EEM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EEM or IAU?

EEM charges 0.72% a year and IAU charges 0.25%, so IAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EEM vs IAU: how they differ

EEM is an equity index fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year EEM returned more, +32.3% against +19.2%.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and iShares Gold Trust.

EEM and IAU on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF	IAU iShares Gold Trust
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	iShares
What it is	Emerging markets	Gold
Total return, 1 year	+32.3%	+19.2%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+14.8 pts	+1.7 pts
Expense ratio	0.72%	0.25%
Holdings	965	not filed

EEM in plain words

EEM is an index equity fund tracking the Emerging markets. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +32.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.72% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 965 positions, with the top ten at 38.3%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

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.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EEM or IAU?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EEM returned +32.3% and IAU returned +19.2%, so EEM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EEM or IAU?: EEM charges 0.72% a year and IAU charges 0.25%, 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.

EEM against IAU, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 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, EEM against IAU, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-iau Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources