SGOL vs IAU Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
SGOL and IAU are both exchange-traded funds backed by physical gold bullion designed to track the spot price of gold, with the primary differences being their vault storage location and jurisdiction, expense ratio, and relative trading liquidity.
SGOL and IAU offer very similar core exposure to gold price movements through physically backed structures, so the decision often comes down to secondary factors such as vault storage jurisdiction preference, expense ratio, and trading liquidity rather than a fundamentally different investment thesis.
SGOL holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. SGOL has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-2.41% vs -2.48% for IAU).
- Specifically value physical gold storage in a Swiss vault jurisdiction
- Want straightforward, physically backed exposure to gold prices
- Are comfortable with somewhat lower trading volume than larger gold funds
- Prioritize a competitive expense ratio among physically backed gold funds
- Prioritize higher trading liquidity and tighter bid-ask spreads
- Want a large, well-established physically backed gold fund
- Are less concerned with the specific jurisdiction of vault storage
- Want straightforward, physically backed exposure to gold prices
| Metric | SGOL | IAU |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 26.7 | 26.8 |
| Latest closei | $37.30 | $73.67 |
| 1M returni | -5.47% | -5.49% |
| 3M returni | -3.94% | -3.94% |
| 6M returni | -14.02% | -14.03% |
| 1Y returni | -2.41% | -2.48% |
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 | IAU |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $9.76K (-2.4%) started 2025-11-03 | $9.75K (-2.5%) started 2025-11-03 |
| 5Y ago | $21.67K (+116.7%) started 2021-11-04 | $21.6K (+116.0%) started 2021-11-04 |
| 10Y ago | $29.4K (+194.0%) started 2016-11-04 | $29.33K (+193.3%) started 2016-11-04 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | SGOL | IAU |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.17% | 0.25% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $7.17B | $62.22B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.19 | 0.20 |
| 52-week change | -2.41% | -2.48% |
| Metric | SGOL | IAU |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | -2.41% | -2.48% |
| 6M returni | -14.02% | -14.03% |
| 3M returni | -3.94% | -3.94% |
| 1M returni | -5.47% | -5.49% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | -0.10 | -0.10 |
| Betai | 0.19 | 0.20 |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| 5Y CAGR | +16.74% | +16.67% |
Over the past year, SGOL and IAU 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 | IAU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -2.41% | -2.48% |
| CAGRi | -2.41% | -2.48% | |
| Volatilityi | 28.36% | 28.41% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.10 | -0.10 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.13 | -0.14 | |
| Max drawdowni | 28.13% | 28.21% | |
| Current drawdowni | 27.45% | 27.47% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 13.36% | 13.38% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 16.12% | 16.14% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.21% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.24% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +116.73% | +116.04% |
| CAGRi | +16.74% | +16.67% | |
| Volatilityi | 18.94% | 18.99% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.68 | 0.67 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.95 | 0.94 | |
| Max drawdowni | 28.13% | 28.21% | |
| Current drawdowni | 27.45% | 27.47% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.97% | 6.97% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.76% | 9.76% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.21% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.24% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +193.98% | +193.27% |
| CAGRi | +11.39% | +11.36% | |
| Volatilityi | 16.46% | 16.45% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.47 | 0.47 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.65 | 0.65 | |
| Max drawdowni | 28.13% | 28.21% | |
| Current drawdowni | 27.45% | 27.47% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 7.09% | 7.16% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.20% | 9.27% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.04% | 10.21% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 12.25% | 12.24% |
| Category | SGOL | IAU |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF | iShares Gold Trust |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.17% | 0.25% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $7.17B | $62.22B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
- Physical gold storage in Switzerland offers a jurisdictional diversification appeal for investors specifically valuing that storage location
- Backed by allocated physical gold bullion, providing a straightforward way to hold gold exposure within a brokerage account
- Competitive expense ratio among physically backed gold exchange-traded funds
- Higher trading liquidity relative to smaller physical gold funds, generally resulting in tighter bid-ask spreads for large trades
- Backed by physical gold bullion, providing a straightforward way to hold gold exposure within a brokerage account
- Large asset base and long track record provide an established history as a physically backed gold exchange-traded fund
- Generally lower trading volume and liquidity relative to larger, more established physical gold funds, which can affect bid-ask spreads for large trades
- Provides no leveraged upside to rising gold prices, since it tracks the spot price of gold directly without operating company leverage
- Does not generate any yield or income, since physical gold itself produces no dividends, interest, or cash flow
- Provides no leveraged upside to rising gold prices, since it tracks the spot price of gold directly without operating company leverage
- Ongoing expense ratio and storage costs create a small but persistent drag relative to holding physical gold directly outside of a fund structure
- Does not generate any yield or income, since physical gold itself produces no dividends, interest, or cash flow
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