Which returned more over the last year, GLDM or IEFA?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLDM returned +2.8% and IEFA +12.3%.

Which is cheaper, GLDM or IEFA?

IEFA is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

GLDM vs IEFA: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GLDM is a commodity fund and IEFA an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IEFA returned +12.3% against +2.8%.

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Net assets: $30.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust, and $190.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF.

GLDM on its own →IEFA on its own →

At a glance

+2.8%

GLDM total return, 1 year

+12.3%

IEFA total return, 1 year

0.10%

GLDM expense ratio

0.07%

IEFA expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IEFA costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.5 points; IEFA is 6.2 times larger.

GLDM vs IEFA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GLDM	IEFA
Return
Measure	GLDM	IEFA
Total return, 1 year	+2.8%	+12.3%
Drawdown
Measure	GLDM	IEFA
Below its high	24.5%, high on Jan 29, 2026	4.7%, high on Aug 25, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	GLDM	IEFA
What it tracks	Gold	MSCI EAFE IMI Index
Cost and size
Measure	GLDM	IEFA
Expense ratio	0.10%	0.07%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$30.6bn	$190.1bn
Holdings
Measure	GLDM	IEFA
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		12.3%

Method

Side by side

GLDM SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust IEFA iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF

Where it sits Commodity ETF Stock ETF

Issuer State Street iShares

What it is Holds gold Tracks the MSCI EAFE

Total return, 1 year +2.8% +12.3%

Its benchmark over the same days +2.5% (GLD) +14.3% (ACWX)

Gap to its benchmark +0.3 pts vs GLD −2.0 pts vs ACWX

Expense ratio 0.10% 0.07%

Holdings not counted 2629

Net assets, GLDM as of Oct 27, 2026 and IEFA as of Oct 28, 2026 $30.6bn $190.4bn

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

Alert

About each fund

GLDM

Its expense ratio is 0.10% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

GLDM holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.8% with distributions reinvested, against +2.5% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.5% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

IEFA

IEFA tracks the MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.3% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,629 positions, with the top ten at 12.3%. It sat 4.7% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GLDM or IEFA?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLDM returned +2.8% and IEFA +12.3%.
Which is cheaper, GLDM or IEFA?: IEFA is cheaper, by 0.03 percentage points a year. That is about $3 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GLDM vs VEA GLDM vs IDEV GLDM vs VXUS GLDM vs SCHF IAU vs IEFA IEFA vs USO IEFA vs SLV IEFA vs SIVR

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

State Street website ↗

IEFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IEFA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IEFA ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GLDM against IEFA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gldm-vs-iefa

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