ETF Versus

GLD vs XLK

SPDR Gold Shares vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR 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
XLK SPDR

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.54%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $90.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.54% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

XLK is significantly cheaper at 0.08% vs 0.40% expense ratio, saving you approximately $627 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. GLD has edged ahead over the past year (49.8% vs 46.8%).

Key Metrics

Metric GLD XLK
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.08%
Dividend Yield N/A 0.5%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category Gold US Sector - Technology

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%
XLK +102.2%

Performance Comparison

Period GLD XLK Difference
1 Month -8.02% +1.60% -9.62%
3 Months +3.74% -2.80% +6.54%
6 Months +15.85% +0.06% +15.79%
YTD +9.98% -1.13% +11.11%
1 Year +49.83% +46.81% +3.02%
3 Years +135.15% +93.34% +41.81%
5 Years +169.92% +102.25% +67.67%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLD Fees XLK Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $786 $159 $627
$10,000 20 years $3,334 $686 $2,648
$10,000 30 years $10,601 $2,212 $8,388
$50,000 10 years $3,932 $797 $3,135
$50,000 30 years $53,003 $11,061 $41,941
$100,000 30 years $106,005 $22,123 $83,882

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLD XLK
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 24.7%
Max Drawdown -21.0% -34.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.96 0.51

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLD XLK
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $0.77
Dividend Yield 0.00% 0.54%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

XLK Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA15.30%
Apple Inc.AAPL13.10%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.49%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.76%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU3.96%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD3.22%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO2.74%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX2.69%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT2.63%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR2.49%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLK 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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