Get the weekly note

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

GLD vs XLV: how they differ

GLD is a commodity fund and XLV an equity index fund, and over the year XLV returned more, +20.4% against +19.1%.

SPDR Gold Shares and State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.

GLD and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GLD
SPDR Gold Shares
XLV
State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssuerState StreetState Street
What it isGoldHealth care
Total return, 1 year+19.1%+20.4%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500+1.6 pts+2.9 pts
Expense ratio0.40%0.08%
Holdingsnot filed63

GLD in plain words

GLD is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.40% a year. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

XLV in plain words

XLV is an index equity fund tracking the Health care. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +20.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 63 positions, with the top ten at 60.9%. It sat 5.9% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GLD or XLV?
In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLD returned +19.1% and XLV returned +20.4%, so XLV returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, GLD or XLV?
GLD charges 0.40% a year and XLV charges 0.08%, so XLV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where to next

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 XLV, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, GLD against XLV, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gld-vs-xlv Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources