Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
GLDM vs XLE: Differences, Returns & Fees
GLDM is a commodity fund and XLE an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLE returned +61.2% against +2.8%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $30.6bn for SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust and $45.2bn for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLE costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 58.4 points; XLE is 1.5 times larger.
| Measure | GLDM | XLE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +2.8% | +61.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 24.5%, high on Jan 29, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Gold | Energy Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.10% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $30.6bn | $45.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 78.1% | |
Risk and return
Jul 6, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 433 weekly returnsGLDM returned more: +215.1% to +161.5%. GLDM swung less: 16.0% to 31.7%. GLDM fell less at its worst: −24.0% to −63.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | GLDM | XLE | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +215.1% | +161.5% | GLDM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +14.8% | +12.2% | GLDM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +215.1% | +83.2% | GLDM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.0% | 31.7% | GLDM | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.5% | 22.6% | GLDM | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −24.0% | −63.9% | GLDM | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.77 | 0.44 | GLDM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.17 | 0.61 | GLDM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.62 | 0.19 | GLDM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 433 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
Side by side
GLDM and XLE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GLDM and XLE do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. GLDM follows Gold and XLE follows Energy Select Sector Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 GLDM returned +2.8% and XLE +61.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 58.4 points.
- Cost (similar). GLDM charges 0.10% of assets a year and XLE 0.08%, a gap of 0.02 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
XLE
XLE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +61.2% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 22 positions, with the top ten at 78.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GLDM or XLE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GLDM returned +2.8% and XLE +61.2%.
- Which is cheaper, GLDM or XLE?
- XLE is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
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ETFIQ, GLDM against XLE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gldm-vs-xle
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). GLDM against XLE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gldm-vs-xle
[GLDM against XLE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gldm-vs-xle)
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