ETF Versus

GLD vs IVV

SPDR Gold Shares vs iShares Core S&P 500 ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

GLD SPDR

SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to gold securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.40%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $162.2B ER: 0.40% Yield: N/A Since: Nov 18, 2004
IVV iShares

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.18%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $743.8B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.18% Since: May 15, 2000

Quick Verdict

IVV is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.40% expense ratio, saving you approximately $727 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, GLD has significantly outperformed with a 49.8% return vs 29.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric GLD IVV
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.03%
Dividend Yield N/A 1.2%
Fund Family SPDR iShares
Category Gold US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 130 175 220 265 310 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
GLD +169.9%
IVV +65.3%

Performance Comparison

Period GLD IVV Difference
1 Month -8.02% +0.54% -8.56%
3 Months +3.74% -2.17% +5.91%
6 Months +15.85% +2.53% +13.32%
YTD +9.98% -0.45% +10.43%
1 Year +49.83% +29.60% +20.23%
3 Years +135.15% +66.01% +69.14%
5 Years +169.92% +65.33% +104.59%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLD Fees IVV Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $786 $60 $727
$10,000 20 years $3,334 $258 $3,075
$10,000 30 years $10,601 $835 $9,765
$50,000 10 years $3,932 $299 $3,633
$50,000 30 years $53,003 $4,176 $48,827
$100,000 30 years $106,005 $8,352 $97,653

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLD IVV
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 16.9%
Max Drawdown -21.0% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.96 0.42

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLD IVV
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $8.06
Dividend Yield 0.00% 1.18%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

IVV Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.60%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.53%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.77%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.71%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.86%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.53%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.30%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.66%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.51%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IVV if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose GLD if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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