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Data as of Sep 19, 2026.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

GLD vs IMF: how they differ

Over the year IMF returned more, +23.1% to GLD's +19.5%, and GLD charges 0.40% to IMF's 0.65%.

SPDR Gold Shares and Invesco Managed Futures Strategy ETF.

GLD and IMF on the fields both publish, as of Sep 19, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GLD
SPDR Gold Shares
IMF
Invesco Managed Futures Strategy ETF
Where it sitsCore fundAlternatives ETF
IssuerState StreetInvesco
What it isHolds goldManaged futures
Total return, 1 year+19.5%+23.1%
S&P 500 over the same days+16.6%+16.6%
Gap to the S&P 500+3.0 pts+6.5 pts
Expense ratio0.40%0.65%
Net assets$147.8bn$319m

GLD in plain words

GLD holds gold. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 it returned +19.5% with distributions reinvested, against +16.6% for the S&P 500 and +21.8% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.40% a year. It sat 19.1% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 18, 2026.

IMF in plain words

IMF is a managed futures fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.22 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.12, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.12% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 22 of those 52 weeks, by 1.24% on average. In the same weeks IMF rose 0.28% on average, a down-week capture of −22.7%. Over the same 52 weeks IMF returned +23.1% and a Treasury bill fund +3.6%, so it finished 19.4 percentage points ahead of cash.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GLD or IMF?
In the year to Sep 19, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +19.5% and IMF returned +23.1%, so IMF returned more.
Which is cheaper, GLD or IMF?
GLD charges 0.40% a year and IMF charges 0.65%, so GLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are GLD and IMF the same kind of fund?
No. GLD is a commodity ETF and IMF is an alternatives ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

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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.

GLD against IMF, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 19, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, GLD against IMF, data as of Sep 19, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gld-vs-imf Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources