Each the Sprott Gold Miners ETF (NYSEMKT:SGDM) and iShares Gold Belief (NYSEMKT:IAU) supply publicity to gold, however their methods and danger profiles diverge sharply. This comparability unpacks their price, efficiency, danger, portfolio make-up, and buying and selling traits to assist traders determine which can higher match their goals.
Metric | SGDM | IAU |
|---|---|---|
Issuer | Sprott | IShares |
Expense ratio | 0.50% | 0.25% |
1-yr return (as of Feb. 7, 2026) | 137.07% | 72.60% |
Beta | 0.53 | 0.14 |
AUM | $718.12 million | $78 billion |
Beta measures worth volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year weekly returns. The 1-yr return represents whole return over the trailing 12 months.
IAU is extra inexpensive with a 0.25% expense ratio in comparison with SGDM’s 0.50%, however its return over the past 12 months is considerably decrease.
Metric | SGDM | IAU |
|---|---|---|
Max drawdown (5 y) | -45.05% | N/A |
Progress of $1,000 over 5 years | $2,735 | $2,690 |
The iShares Gold Belief is designed to trace the spot worth of gold, providing direct publicity to bodily bullion. With $78 billion in belongings beneath administration and a 21-year historical past, it serves as a extremely liquid, low-cost car for these in search of pure gold worth publicity.
The Sprott Gold Miners ETF has a concentrated portfolio of 43 gold mining corporations. Its prime holdings embrace North American corporations comparable to Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (TSX:AEM.TO), Newmont Corp. (NYSE:NEM), and Wheaton Treasured Metals Corp. (TSX:WPM.TO). Firms with increased income progress and decrease debt-to-equity (D/E) ratios are given extra weight throughout the portfolio.
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When investing in ETFs tied to the efficiency of valuable metals, concentrate on the heightened volatility that may include it in comparison with frequent stock-based ETFs. Treasured metals could be very unstable, particularly throughout occasions of financial and geopolitical turbulence.
On condition that gold is likely one of the most traded valuable metals on this planet, its worth can fluctuate sharply. As of now, that has benefited traders, because the metallic is benefiting from worldwide entities more and more buying it for his or her reserves, whereas the U.S. greenback has additionally weakened. However traders ought to nonetheless be conscious that sudden drops can happen.
Selecting between these two ETFs yields related outcomes, as each are tied to the efficiency of gold. SGDM has had higher one-year efficiency, however when taking a look at worth returns over a five-year span, they’re almost equivalent. Nonetheless, if some traders don’t really feel snug with an ETF that solely holds gold, then SGDM could also be extra appropriate.
