Are GLD and IBB in the same category?

GLD is a commodity ETF and IBB is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and IBB +37.5%.

Which is cheaper, GLD or IBB?

GLD is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

GLD vs IBB: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GLD returned +2.5% to IBB's +37.5%, and GLD charges 0.40% to IBB's 0.44%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $135.8bn for SPDR Gold Shares and $11.0bn for iShares Biotechnology ETF.

GLD on its own →IBB on its own →

At a glance

+2.5%

GLD total return, 1 year

+37.5%

IBB total return, 1 year

0.40%

GLD expense ratio

0.44%

IBB expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GLD costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 35.0 points; GLD is 12.3 times larger.

GLD vs IBB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GLD	IBB
Return
Measure	GLD	IBB
Total return, 1 year	+2.5%	+37.5%
Drawdown
Measure	GLD	IBB
Below its high	24.7%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	GLD	IBB
What it tracks	Gold	Biotech
Cost and size
Measure	GLD	IBB
Expense ratio	0.40%	0.44%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$135.8bn	$11.0bn
Active share vs the S&P 500		99%
Holdings
Measure	GLD	IBB
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		40%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		50%

Method

Side by side

GLD SPDR Gold Shares IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF

Where it sits Commodity ETF Thematic ETF

Issuer State Street iShares

What it is Holds gold Biotech

Total return, 1 year +2.5% +37.5%

Its benchmark over the same days +2.7% (IAU) not measured

Gap to its benchmark −0.2 pts vs IAU not measured

Expense ratio 0.40% 0.44%

Holdings not counted 245

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $135.8bn $11.0bn

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

Alert

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.

IBB

By weight, 40% of IBB's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 99%. The top ten holdings are 50% of the fund across 245 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +37.5% with distributions reinvested.

Questions people ask

Are GLD and IBB in the same category?: GLD is a commodity ETF and IBB is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, GLD or IBB?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and IBB +37.5%.
Which is cheaper, GLD or IBB?: GLD is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GLD vs XBI AIRR vs GLD GDX vs GLD GLD vs REMX IBB vs SIVR IAU vs IBB BWET vs IBB GLDM vs IBB

Where to next

GLD on its own →IBB on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →IBB dividend history →IBB holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

State Street website ↗

IBB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IBB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IBB ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

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

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