ETF Versus

GLD vs JNK

SPDR Gold Shares vs State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond 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
JNK SPDR

State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to below-investment-grade U.S. corporate bonds offering higher yields. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.40%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 6.60%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $6.9B ER: 0.40% Yield: 6.60% Since: Nov 28, 2007

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, GLD has significantly outperformed with a 49.8% return vs 4.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric GLD JNK
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.40%
Dividend Yield N/A 6.6%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category Gold US High Yield Bond

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 126 172 218 264 310 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
GLD +169.9%
JNK -11.4%

Performance Comparison

Period GLD JNK Difference
1 Month -8.02% +0.31% -8.33%
3 Months +3.74% -1.30% +5.04%
6 Months +15.85% -0.53% +16.38%
YTD +9.98% -0.85% +10.83%
1 Year +49.83% +4.60% +45.23%
3 Years +135.15% +4.83% +130.32%
5 Years +169.92% -11.39% +181.31%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLD Fees JNK Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $786 $786 $0
$10,000 20 years $3,334 $3,334 $0
$10,000 30 years $10,601 $10,601 $0
$50,000 10 years $3,932 $3,932 $0
$50,000 30 years $53,003 $53,003 $0
$100,000 30 years $106,005 $106,005 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLD JNK
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 7.7%
Max Drawdown -21.0% -20.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.96 -0.86

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLD JNK
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $6.37
Dividend Yield 0.00% 6.61%
Distribution Frequency None Monthly

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose GLD if...

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

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