SGOL vs GLD Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
SGOL and GLD are both physically-backed gold ETFs but differ in custody geography and expense ratio. SGOL stores gold in Swiss vaults at a lower 0.17% expense ratio. GLD stores gold in London at a higher 0.40% expense ratio but offers vastly superior liquidity and options market depth. For cost-sensitive long-term gold allocation, SGOL's expense advantage compounds significantly; for active trading or institutional use requiring deep liquidity and options, GLD dominates.
SGOL vs GLD is the lower-cost Swiss-vaulted gold ETF with geographic custody diversification (SGOL) versus the largest and most liquid gold ETF with a deep options market at a higher management fee (GLD) — cost efficiency vs trading liquidity tradeoff.
SGOL holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. SGOL has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-1.55% vs -1.76% for GLD).
- prefer lower expense ratio gold ETF with Swiss vault storage outside the US banking system as geographic custody diversification
- hold gold as a long-term buy-and-hold allocation where the 0.17% vs 0.40% fee difference compounds to meaningful savings over decades
- value non-US, non-UK physical gold custody for geopolitical or financial system diversification purposes
- trade gold infrequently enough that SGOL's lower liquidity vs GLD does not create meaningful execution cost disadvantages
- prioritize maximum liquidity for rapid position entry and exit in large size — GLD's $50B+ AUM makes it the only gold ETF for institutional trading
- use GLD options market for hedging portfolios or generating income through gold covered call strategies
- hold gold in institutional mandates that specifically reference GLD as the standard gold ETF benchmark
- trade gold frequently in large size where bid-ask spread matters more than management fee differences
| Metric | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 26.7 | 26.8 |
| Latest closei | $37.54 | $361.65 |
| 1M returni | -4.87% | -4.86% |
| 3M returni | -2.70% | -2.71% |
| 6M returni | -12.74% | -12.79% |
| 1Y returni | -1.55% | -1.76% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.82K (-1.8%) started 2025-11-03 | $9.81K (-1.9%) started 2025-11-03 |
| 5Y ago | $22.07K (+120.7%) started 2021-11-03 | $21.82K (+118.2%) started 2021-11-03 |
| 10Y ago | $29.62K (+196.2%) started 2016-11-03 | $29.09K (+190.9%) started 2016-11-03 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.17% | 0.40% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $7.17B | $141.7B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.19 | 0.19 |
| 52-week change | -1.55% | -1.76% |
| Metric | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | -1.55% | -1.76% |
| 6M returni | -12.74% | -12.79% |
| 3M returni | -2.70% | -2.71% |
| 1M returni | -4.87% | -4.86% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | -0.08 | -0.08 |
| Betai | 0.19 | 0.19 |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 5Y CAGR | +17.17% | +16.90% |
Over the past year, SGOL and GLD have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 1.00), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -1.78% | -1.93% |
| CAGRi | -1.79% | -1.94% | |
| Volatilityi | 28.41% | 28.61% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.08 | -0.08 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.10 | -0.11 | |
| Max drawdowni | 28.13% | 28.26% | |
| Current drawdowni | 26.98% | 27.07% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 13.31% | 13.36% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 16.06% | 16.12% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.27% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.25% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +120.69% | +118.16% |
| CAGRi | +17.17% | +16.90% | |
| Volatilityi | 18.94% | 19.06% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.70 | 0.68 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.98 | 0.95 | |
| Max drawdowni | 28.13% | 28.26% | |
| Current drawdowni | 26.98% | 27.07% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.95% | 7.02% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.73% | 9.79% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.27% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.25% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +196.24% | +190.95% |
| CAGRi | +11.48% | +11.28% | |
| Volatilityi | 16.46% | 16.50% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.47 | 0.46 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.66 | 0.64 | |
| Max drawdowni | 28.13% | 28.26% | |
| Current drawdowni | 26.98% | 27.07% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 7.08% | 7.23% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.18% | 9.33% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.27% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.25% |
| Category | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF | SPDR Gold Shares |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.17% | 0.40% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $7.17B | $141.7B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
- Swiss vault storage appeals to investors seeking non-US custody for gold — geographic diversification of physical metal outside US banking system
- Lower expense ratio than GLD (0.17% vs 0.40%) significantly reduces long-term total cost of ownership for gold allocation
- Independent third-party vault custodian (Brinks Switzerland) with annual audits provides transparency into physical gold holdings
- Largest gold ETF globally with $50B+ AUM providing the best liquidity for large institutional and active traders — GLD options market is deep and well-established
- State Street's brand and HSBC London custody is the gold ETF standard — most institutional mandates referencing a gold ETF default to GLD
- Deep options market for GLD enables sophisticated gold portfolio strategies (covered calls, protective puts) not available on smaller ETFs like SGOL
- Much smaller AUM than GLD or IAU — SGOL's lower liquidity means wider bid-ask spreads in volatile markets compared to multi-billion-dollar GLD
- abrdn as fund manager is less well-known than State Street (GLD) — brand recognition affects institutional adoption and fund longevity confidence
- Gold ETFs generally underperform direct gold ownership for large investors (futures rollover costs, management fees, counterparty risk) — ETF wrapper remains a compromise
- GLD's 0.40% expense ratio is higher than SGOL (0.17%) and IAU (0.25%) — over a 10-year period, the cost difference compounds meaningfully against long-term holders
- London vault storage (HSBC) may not satisfy investors seeking non-UK/non-US custody diversification that SGOL's Swiss vaults provide
- As a commodity ETF, GLD tracks gold prices perfectly but earns no income — investors accepting management fees for a return matching spot gold could own gold directly at lower cost
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