IAU vs SPY
Comparison between iShares Gold Trust (IAU, ETF) and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY, ETF).
5-Year PerformanceIAU has outperformed SPY, delivering a return of +18.0% compared to +13.2%
IAU vs SPY - Performance Comparison
Key Characteristics
Financial metrics and valuation ratios
Net Assets
IAU
$70B
Winner
SPY
$784B
Expense Ratio
IAU
0.25%
Winner
SPY
0.09%
Max Drawdown
Winner
IAU
45.14%
SPY
56.47%
Sharpe Ratio
IAU
0.73
Winner
SPY
1.54
5Y Beta
Winner
IAU
0.23
SPY
1.00
P/E Ratio
IAU
N/A
SPY
27.62
Forward P/E
IAU
N/A
SPY
21.11
5Y Dividends CAGR
IAU
N/A
SPY
6.00%
5Y EPS CAGR
IAU
N/A
SPY
25.30%
Debt to Equity
IAU
N/A
SPY
31.11%
P/S Ratio
IAU
N/A
SPY
3.49
P/B Ratio
IAU
N/A
SPY
5.30
IAU vs SPY - Historical Returns
Returns include dividend reinvestment.
1M
IAU
-8.82%
Winner
SPY
-1.37%
3M
IAU
-6.58%
Winner
SPY
+12.22%
6M
IAU
-8.68%
Winner
SPY
+7.20%
1Y
IAU
+21.45%
Winner
SPY
+23.58%
5Y(CAGR)
Winner
IAU
+18.00%
SPY
+13.19%
10Y(CAGR)
IAU
+12.30%
Winner
SPY
+15.12%
Max(CAGR)
Winner
IAU
+10.85%
SPY
+8.44%
IAU vs SPY - Annual Returns (1999 - 2026)
Returns include dividend reinvestment.
| Year | IAU | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | -5.19% | +7.95% |
| 2025 | +61.73% | +18.00% |
| 2024 | +27.14% | +25.59% |
| 2023 | +11.90% | +26.72% |
| 2022 | +0.96% | -18.64% |
| 2021 | -6.17% | +30.52% |
| 2020 | +24.09% | +17.28% |
| 2019 | +17.89% | +31.09% |
| 2018 | -3.00% | -5.24% |
| 2017 | +12.10% | +20.78% |
| 2016 | +6.74% | +13.59% |
| 2015 | -11.04% | +1.31% |
| 2014 | -3.70% | +14.56% |
| 2013 | -28.76% | +29.00% |
| 2012 | +4.09% | +14.17% |
| 2011 | +10.20% | +0.85% |
| 2010 | +26.49% | +13.14% |
| 2009 | +24.34% | +22.67% |
| 2008 | +2.09% | -36.25% |
| 2007 | +32.34% | +5.32% |
| 2006 | +18.87% | +13.85% |
| 2005 | +21.17% | +5.32% |
| 2004 | N/A | +10.75% |
| 2003 | N/A | +24.18% |
| 2002 | N/A | -22.42% |
| 2001 | N/A | -10.13% |
| 2000 | N/A | -8.84% |
| 1999 | N/A | +8.61% |
IAU vs SPY Drawdown Comparison
The maximum drawdown for IAU was -45.14%, occurring on Dec 2, 2015. Recovery took 2246 trading sessions.
The maximum drawdown for SPY was -55.20%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 1224 trading sessions.
The current IAU drawdown is -23.87%. The current SPY drawdown is -3.18%.
| Rank | IAU | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | -45.14% Aug 22, 2011 - Jul 27, 2020 | -55.20% Oct 9, 2007 - Aug 16, 2012 |
| #2 | -29.23% Mar 17, 2008 - Sep 16, 2009 | -47.50% Mar 24, 2000 - Oct 26, 2006 |
| #3 | -24.40% Jan 29, 2026 - Jun 10, 2026 | -33.70% Feb 19, 2020 - Aug 10, 2020 |
| #4 | -21.99% May 11, 2006 - Sep 18, 2007 | -24.50% Jan 3, 2022 - Dec 13, 2023 |
| #5 | -21.82% Aug 6, 2020 - Mar 4, 2024 | -19.34% Sep 20, 2018 - Apr 12, 2019 |
| #6 | -12.71% Dec 2, 2009 - May 11, 2010 | -18.76% Feb 19, 2025 - Jun 26, 2025 |
| #7 | -10.05% Oct 20, 2025 - Dec 22, 2025 | -13.02% Jul 20, 2015 - Apr 18, 2016 |
| #8 | -8.13% Oct 30, 2024 - Jan 30, 2025 | -10.10% Jan 26, 2018 - Aug 6, 2018 |
| #9 | -8.03% Dec 6, 2010 - Mar 1, 2011 | -9.44% Sep 2, 2020 - Nov 11, 2020 |
| #10 | -7.50% Jun 18, 2010 - Sep 14, 2010 | -9.30% Jan 19, 2000 - Mar 17, 2000 |
| #11 | -7.15% Apr 21, 2025 - Jun 13, 2025 | -9.05% Jul 19, 2007 - Oct 5, 2007 |
| #12 | -6.76% Dec 12, 2005 - Jan 3, 2006 | -8.88% Jan 27, 2026 - Apr 14, 2026 |
| #13 | -6.61% Mar 11, 2005 - Aug 12, 2005 | -8.41% Jul 16, 2024 - Sep 19, 2024 |
| #14 | -6.13% Nov 7, 2007 - Dec 28, 2007 | -7.35% Sep 14, 2012 - Jan 2, 2013 |
| #15 | -5.90% Feb 2, 2006 - Mar 29, 2006 | -7.27% Sep 18, 2014 - Oct 31, 2014 |
Correlation
Correlation between IAU and SPY is 0.87 which considered as a strong positive correlation - the stocks tend to move together.
0.87
-101
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