Are GLD and MRGR in the same category?

GLD is a commodity ETF and MRGR is an alternatives 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 MRGR?

In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.8% and MRGR +4.3%.

Which is cheaper, GLD or MRGR?

GLD is cheaper, by 0.35 percentage points a year. That is about $35 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Across categories

GLD vs MRGR: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, GLD returned +2.8% to MRGR's +4.3%, and GLD charges 0.40% to MRGR's 0.75%.

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Net assets: $131.3bn on Nov 3, 2026 for SPDR Gold Shares, and $16m on Nov 4, 2026 for ProShares Merger ETF.

GLD on its own →MRGR on its own →

At a glance

+2.8%

GLD total return, 1 year

+4.3%

MRGR total return, 1 year

0.40%

GLD expense ratio

0.75%

MRGR expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GLD costs 0.35 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.5 points; GLD is far larger, $135.0bn against $16m.

GLD vs MRGR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GLD	MRGR
Return
Measure	GLD	MRGR
Total return, 1 year	+2.8%	+4.3%
Total return, 52 weeks		+4.3%
Drawdown
Measure	GLD	MRGR
Below its high	24.9%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Against its benchmark
Measure	GLD	MRGR
What it tracks	Gold	not published
Treasury bills, 52 weeks		+3.7%
Against cash		0.7 points ahead
Cost and size
Measure	GLD	MRGR
Expense ratio	0.40%	0.75%
Net assets	$135.0bn	$16m
Holdings
Measure	GLD	MRGR
Holdings in common	not published
Risk
Measure	GLD	MRGR
Correlation with the S&P 500’s weekly returns		+0.22
Beta to the S&P 500		+0.05: about 0.05% for each 1%
Its average week when the S&P 500 fell		fell 0.01%
Down-week capture		1.2%
Weeks the S&P 500 fell		26 of 52, by 1.07% on average

Method

Side by side

GLD SPDR Gold Shares MRGR ProShares Merger ETF

Where it sits Commodity ETF Alternatives ETF

Issuer State Street ProShares

What it is Holds gold Event driven

Total return, 1 year +2.8% +4.3%

Its benchmark over the same days +2.9% (IAU) not measured

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs IAU not measured

Expense ratio 0.40% 0.75%

Net assets, GLD as of Nov 3, 2026 and MRGR as of Nov 4, 2026 $131.3bn $16m

GLD and MRGR on the fields both publish, as of Nov 4, 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 Nov 4, 2026 it returned +2.8% with distributions reinvested, against +2.9% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.9% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Nov 4, 2026.

MRGR

MRGR is an event driven fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of +0.22 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of +0.05, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.05% the same way. The S&P 500 fell in 26 of those 52 weeks, by 1.07% on average. In the same weeks MRGR fell 0.01% on average, a down-week capture of 1.2%. Over the same 52 weeks MRGR returned +4.3% and a Treasury bill fund +3.7%, so it finished 0.7 percentage points ahead of cash.

Questions people ask

Are GLD and MRGR in the same category?: GLD is a commodity ETF and MRGR is an alternatives 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 MRGR?: In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +2.8% and MRGR +4.3%.
Which is cheaper, GLD or MRGR?: GLD is cheaper, by 0.35 percentage points a year. That is about $35 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GLD vs MNA GLD vs RSBA GLD vs HFND GLD vs XTR MRGR vs VOO MRGR vs QQQ MRGR vs SPY IVV vs MRGR

Where to next

BIL, the T-bill fund these are measured against →SPY, the S&P 500 fund these are measured against →GLD on its own →MRGR on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →MRGR dividend history →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

State Street website ↗

MRGR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

MRGR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

ProShares page for MRGR ↗

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

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ETFIQ, GLD against MRGR, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gld-vs-mrgr

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