ETF Versus

GLD vs XLY

SPDR Gold Shares vs State Street Consumer Discretionary 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
XLY SPDR

State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - consumer discretionary securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.79%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $21.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.79% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

XLY is significantly cheaper at 0.08% vs 0.40% expense ratio, saving you approximately $627 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, GLD has significantly outperformed with a 49.8% return vs 19.8%.

Key Metrics

Metric GLD XLY
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.08%
Dividend Yield N/A 0.8%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category Gold US Sector - Consumer Discretionary

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 118 166 214 262 310 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
GLD +169.9%
XLY +27.1%

Performance Comparison

Period GLD XLY Difference
1 Month -8.02% -1.36% -6.66%
3 Months +3.74% -9.58% +13.32%
6 Months +15.85% -3.72% +19.57%
YTD +9.98% -4.87% +14.85%
1 Year +49.83% +19.84% +29.99%
3 Years +135.15% +54.44% +80.71%
5 Years +169.92% +27.14% +142.78%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLD Fees XLY 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 XLY
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 23.7%
Max Drawdown -21.0% -40.3%
Sharpe Ratio 0.96 0.13

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLD XLY
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $0.89
Dividend Yield 0.00% 0.79%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

XLY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN24.60%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA17.23%
The Home Depot, Inc.HD5.97%
The TJX Companies, Inc.TJX4.40%
McDonald's CorporationMCD4.37%
Booking Holdings Inc.BKNG3.57%
Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW3.35%
Starbucks CorporationSBUX2.71%
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.ORLY1.92%
Marriott International, Inc.MAR1.88%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLY 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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