ETF Versus

GLD vs SPYD

SPDR Gold Shares vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend 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
SPYD SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.33%. Launched in 2015, the fund has a 11-year track record.

AUM: $7.1B ER: 0.07% Yield: 4.33% Since: Oct 21, 2015

Quick Verdict

SPYD is significantly cheaper at 0.07% vs 0.40% expense ratio, saving you approximately $647 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, GLD has significantly outperformed with a 49.8% return vs 15.3%.

Key Metrics

Metric GLD SPYD
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.07%
Dividend Yield N/A 4.3%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category Gold US Dividend

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%
SPYD +17.3%

Performance Comparison

Period GLD SPYD Difference
1 Month -8.02% -0.44% -7.58%
3 Months +3.74% +3.93% -0.19%
6 Months +15.85% +6.95% +8.90%
YTD +9.98% +5.33% +4.65%
1 Year +49.83% +15.30% +34.53%
3 Years +135.15% +19.97% +115.18%
5 Years +169.92% +17.27% +152.65%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLD Fees SPYD Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $786 $140 $647
$10,000 20 years $3,334 $600 $2,733
$10,000 30 years $10,601 $1,938 $8,662
$50,000 10 years $3,932 $698 $3,234
$50,000 30 years $53,003 $9,692 $43,311
$100,000 30 years $106,005 $19,383 $86,622

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLD SPYD
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 16.5%
Max Drawdown -21.0% -27.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.96 0.00

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLD SPYD
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $1.99
Dividend Yield 0.00% 4.33%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

SPYD Top Holdings

NameWeight
APA CorporationAPA1.78%
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.LYB1.75%
Dow Inc.DOW1.69%
EOG Resources, Inc.EOG1.57%
Edison InternationalEIX1.50%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ1.49%
Phillips 66PSX1.45%
AT&T Inc.T1.42%
Target CorporationTGT1.42%
Chevron CorporationCVX1.41%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPYD 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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