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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HDV returned +29.4% and IAU +2.7%.

Which is cheaper, HDV or IAU?

HDV is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

HDV vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees

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HDV is an equity index fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, HDV returned +29.4% against +2.7%.

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Net assets: $15.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core High Dividend ETF, and $60.1bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Gold Trust.

HDV on its own →IAU on its own →

At a glance

+29.4%

HDV total return, 1 year

+2.7%

IAU total return, 1 year

0.08%

HDV expense ratio

0.25%

IAU expense ratio

Pair scorecard

HDV costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 26.7 points; IAU is 3.8 times larger.

HDV vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	HDV	IAU
Return
Measure	HDV	IAU
Total return, 1 year	+29.4%	+2.7%
Drawdown
Measure	HDV	IAU
Below its high		24.6%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	HDV	IAU
What it tracks	Morningstar Dividend Yield Focus Index	Gold
Cost and size
Measure	HDV	IAU
Expense ratio	0.08%	0.25%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$15.9bn	$60.3bn
Holdings
Measure	HDV	IAU
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight	90%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	55.6%

Method

Side by side

HDV iShares Core High Dividend ETF IAU iShares Gold Trust

Where it sits Stock ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks an index of High Dividend Holds gold

Total return, 1 year +29.4% +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 0.08% 0.25%

Holdings 77 not counted

Net assets, HDV as of Oct 27, 2026 and IAU as of Oct 28, 2026 $15.9bn $60.1bn

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

Alert

About each fund

HDV

HDV tracks an index of High Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +29.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 77 positions, with the top ten at 55.6%.

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, HDV or IAU?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, HDV returned +29.4% and IAU +2.7%.
Which is cheaper, HDV or IAU?: HDV is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

HDV vs SLV HDV vs SIVR HDV vs USO BWET vs HDV IAU vs SPHD IAU vs VTV IAU vs PVAL IAU vs VLUE

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

HDV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

HDV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for HDV ↗

iShares page for IAU ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

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

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