Which returned more over the last year, EFA or GLD?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and GLD returned +19.1%, so GLD returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EFA or GLD?

EFA charges 0.32% a year and GLD charges 0.40%, so EFA 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

EFA vs GLD: how they differ

EFA is an equity index fund and GLD a commodity fund, and over the year GLD returned more, +19.1% against +18.2%.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and SPDR Gold Shares.

EFA and GLD on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF	GLD SPDR Gold Shares
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	State Street
What it is	Developed markets ex US	Gold
Total return, 1 year	+18.2%	+19.1%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.7 pts	+1.6 pts
Expense ratio	0.32%	0.40%
Holdings	670	not filed

EFA in plain words

EFA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% 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 670 positions, with the top ten at 13.8%.

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, EFA or GLD?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and GLD returned +19.1%, so GLD returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EFA or GLD?: EFA charges 0.32% a year and GLD charges 0.40%, so EFA 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.

EFA against GLD, 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, EFA against GLD, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/efa-vs-gld Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources