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 (+19.76% vs +19.53% 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 | 75.0 | 73.0 |
| Latest closei | $41.64 | $401.17 |
| 1M returni | -3.05% | -3.06% |
| 6M returni | -2.89% | -2.95% |
| 1Y returni | +19.76% | +19.53% |
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 | $11.98K (+19.8%) started 2025-09-18 | $11.95K (+19.5%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $24.6K (+146.0%) started 2021-09-20 | $24.32K (+143.2%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $32.59K (+225.9%) started 2016-09-19 | $32.01K (+220.1%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.17% | 0.40% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $7.75B | $152.86B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.18 | 0.18 |
| 52-week change | 19.76% | 19.53% |
| Metric | SGOL | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +19.76% | +19.53% |
| 6M returni | -2.89% | -2.95% |
| 1M returni | -3.05% | -3.06% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 0.62 | 0.61 |
| Betai | 0.18 | 0.18 |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 5Y CAGR | +19.75% | +19.48% |
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 | +19.76% | +19.53% |
| CAGRi | +19.77% | +19.55% | |
| Volatilityi | 29.04% | 29.31% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.62 | 0.61 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.82 | 0.81 | |
| Max drawdowni | 26.32% | 26.40% | |
| Current drawdowni | 19.00% | 19.10% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 11.23% | 11.28% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 13.97% | 14.02% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.27% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.25% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +145.95% | +143.22% |
| CAGRi | +19.75% | +19.48% | |
| Volatilityi | 18.70% | 18.81% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.82 | 0.81 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.16 | 1.13 | |
| Max drawdowni | 26.32% | 26.40% | |
| Current drawdowni | 19.00% | 19.10% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.39% | 6.46% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.00% | 9.06% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.27% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.25% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +225.90% | +220.12% |
| CAGRi | +12.55% | +12.34% | |
| Volatilityi | 16.32% | 16.37% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.53 | 0.52 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.74 | 0.73 | |
| Max drawdowni | 26.32% | 26.40% | |
| Current drawdowni | 19.00% | 19.10% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 7.03% | 7.18% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 8.96% | 9.11% | |
| 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 | $7.75B | $152.86B |
| 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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