Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or IAU?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and IAU +2.7%.

Which is cheaper, GOVT or IAU?

GOVT is cheaper, by 0.20 percentage points a year. That is about $20 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

GOVT vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees

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GOVT is a bond index fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IAU returned +2.7% against −1.5%.

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Net assets: $42.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF, and $60.1bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Gold Trust.

GOVT on its own →IAU on its own →

At a glance

−1.5%

GOVT total return, 1 year

+2.7%

IAU total return, 1 year

0.05%

GOVT expense ratio

0.25%

IAU expense ratio

Pair scorecard

GOVT costs 0.20 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.2 points; IAU is 1.4 times larger.

GOVT vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	GOVT	IAU
Return
Measure	GOVT	IAU
Total return, 1 year	−1.5%	+2.7%
Drawdown
Measure	GOVT	IAU
Below its high	8.1%, high on Aug 4, 2020	24.6%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	GOVT	IAU
What it tracks	ICE U.S. Treasury Core Bond Index	Gold
Cost and size
Measure	GOVT	IAU
Expense ratio	0.05%	0.25%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$42.8bn	$60.3bn
Holdings
Measure	GOVT	IAU
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF IAU iShares Gold Trust

Where it sits Bond ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond Holds gold

Total return, 1 year −1.5% +2.7%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +2.5% (GLD)

Gap to its benchmark not measured +0.2 pts vs GLD

Expense ratio 0.05% 0.25%

Holdings 229 not counted

Net assets, GOVT as of Oct 27, 2026 and IAU as of Oct 28, 2026 $42.8bn $60.1bn

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

Alert

About each fund

GOVT

GOVT tracks an index of U.S. Treasury Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. It sat 8.1% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.

IAU

Its expense ratio is 0.25% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

IAU holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.7% with distributions reinvested, against +2.5% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, GOVT or IAU?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GOVT returned −1.5% and IAU +2.7%.
Which is cheaper, GOVT or IAU?: GOVT is cheaper, by 0.20 percentage points a year. That is about $20 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

GOVT vs SLV GOVT vs USO GLD vs GOVT GOVT vs SIVR IAU vs IEF IAU vs VGIT IAU vs VGSH IAU vs JAAA

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

GOVT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

GOVT prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for GOVT ↗

iShares page for IAU ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GOVT against IAU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/govt-vs-iau

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