Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

vsCompare their flowsaskIQ about these two fundsAsk the committee about these two funds
Across categories

GLD vs GLDM: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share
Share on XDownload as PDF

GLD and GLDM are both commodity funds, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GLDM returned +2.8% against +2.5%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about GLD and GLDM

Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $135.8bn for SPDR Gold Shares and $30.6bn for SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust.

At a glance
+2.5%
GLD total return, 1 year
+2.8%
GLDM total return, 1 year
0.40%
GLD expense ratio
0.10%
GLDM expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GLDM costs 0.30 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points; GLD is 4.4 times larger.

GLD vs GLDM: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureGLDGLDM
Return
Total return, 1 year+2.5%+2.8%
Drawdown
Below its high24.7%, high on Jan 29, 202624.5%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksGoldGold
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.40%0.10%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$135.8bn$30.6bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published

Method

Risk and return

Jul 6, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 433 weekly returns
GLD GLDM
Return
Total return edge GLDM (slight) +208.4% +215.1%
Annualized edge Tie +14.5% +14.8%
Price return edge GLDM (slight) +208.4% +215.1%
Risk
Volatility edge Tie 16.1% 16.0%
Max drawdown edge Tie −24.2% −24.0%
Downside capture 99.9% 99.6%
Beta 1.00 1.00
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge GLDM (slight) 0.75 0.77
Sortino edge GLDM (slight) 1.14 1.17
Treynor 0.097 0.123
Calmar edge GLDM (slight) 0.60 0.62
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.1% a year +0.3% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.57 1.42
Information ratio −0.18 0.43
Tracking error 0.7% 0.6%

Each against its own benchmark: GLD against IAU, Feb 4, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026; GLDM against GLD, Jul 6, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

GLDM returned slightly more: +215.1% to +208.4%. GLD and GLDM swung about the same: 16.1% and 16.0%. GLD and GLDM fell about the same at their worst: −24.2% and −24.0%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: GLD vs GLDM: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureGLDGLDMEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+208.4%+215.1%GLDM (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+14.5%+14.8%TieTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+208.4%+215.1%GLDM (slight)Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility16.1%16.0%TieSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation10.6%10.5%TieLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−24.2%−24.0%TieDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture99.4%100.0%Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture99.9%99.6%Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta1.001.00Not an edgeHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared1.001.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.750.77GLDM (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.141.17GLDM (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.0970.123Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.600.62GLDM (slight)Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkIAUGLDThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.1% a year+0.3% a yearNot significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.571.42Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−0.4% to +0.2%−0.1% to +0.7%Includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.180.43Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error0.7%0.6%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 433 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

GLD SPDR Gold Shares GLDM SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust
Where it sits Commodity ETF Commodity ETF
What it is Holds gold Holds gold
Total return, 1 year +2.5% +2.8%
Its benchmark over the same days +2.7% (IAU) +2.5% (GLD)
Gap to its benchmark −0.2 pts vs IAU +0.3 pts vs GLD
Expense ratio 0.40% 0.10%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $135.8bn $30.6bn

GLD and GLDM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-A54DCFC48B

GLD and GLDM are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Cost. GLD charges 0.40% of assets a year and GLDM 0.10%, a gap of 0.30 points.
  2. Size. GLD has $135.8bn in net assets and GLDM $30.6bn (net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026); GLD is 4.4 times larger.
  3. What each follows (similar). Both follow Gold.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.

Your saved page · Privacy.

Alert

GLD and GLDM flows, by email on Sundays.

One-click unsubscribe. See Privacy.

About each fund
GLD

Its expense ratio is 0.40% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

GLD holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.5% with distributions reinvested, against +2.7% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.7% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

GLDM

Its expense ratio is 0.10% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

GLDM holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.8% with distributions reinvested, against +2.5% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.5% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GLD or GLDM?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and GLDM +2.8%.
Which is cheaper, GLD or GLDM?
GLDM is cheaper, by 0.30 percentage points a year. That is about $30 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Sources and dates

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GLD against GLDM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gld-vs-gldm

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.