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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and LQD −3.4%.

Which is cheaper, GLD or LQD?

LQD is cheaper, by 0.26 percentage points a year. That is about $26 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 LQD: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GLD is a commodity fund and LQD a bond index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GLD returned +2.5% against −3.4%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $135.8bn for SPDR Gold Shares and $30.6bn for iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF.

GLD on its own →LQD on its own →

At a glance

+2.5%

GLD total return, 1 year

−3.4%

LQD total return, 1 year

0.40%

GLD expense ratio

0.14%

LQD expense ratio

Pair scorecard

LQD costs 0.26 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.9 points; GLD is 4.4 times larger.

GLD vs LQD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GLD	LQD
Return
Measure	GLD	LQD
Total return, 1 year	+2.5%	−3.4%
Drawdown
Measure	GLD	LQD
Below its high	24.7%, high on Jan 29, 2026	6.3%, high on Sep 22, 2021
Benchmark
Measure	GLD	LQD
What it tracks	Gold	Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index
Cost and size
Measure	GLD	LQD
Expense ratio	0.40%	0.14%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$135.8bn	$30.6bn
Holdings
Measure	GLD	LQD
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

GLD SPDR Gold Shares LQD iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF

Where it sits Commodity ETF Bond ETF

Issuer State Street iShares

What it is Holds gold Tracks an index of US investment grade bonds

Total return, 1 year +2.5% −3.4%

Its benchmark over the same days +2.7% (IAU) −1.2% (IUSB)

Gap to its benchmark −0.2 pts vs IAU −2.2 pts vs IUSB

Expense ratio 0.40% 0.14%

Holdings not counted 3191

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $135.8bn $30.6bn

GLD and LQD 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.

LQD

LQD tracks an index of US investment grade bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year. It sat 6.3% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GLD or LQD?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.5% and LQD −3.4%.
Which is cheaper, GLD or LQD?: LQD is cheaper, by 0.26 percentage points a year. That is about $26 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GLD vs IGIB GLD vs VCIT GLD vs JAAA GLD vs SHY IAU vs LQD GLDM vs LQD LQD vs SLV LQD vs SIVR

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

State Street website ↗

LQD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LQD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for LQD ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

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

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