ETF Versus

GLDM vs XLB

SPDR Gold MiniShares vs State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

GLDM SPDR

SPDR Gold MiniShares (GLDM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to gold securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.10%. Launched in 2018, the fund has a 8-year track record.

AUM: $31.3B ER: 0.10% Yield: N/A Since: Jun 25, 2018
XLB SPDR

State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - materials securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.68%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $7.0B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.68% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

XLB has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.08% vs 0.10%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, GLDM has significantly outperformed with a 50.3% return vs 32.9%.

Key Metrics

Metric GLDM XLB
Expense Ratio 0.10% 0.08%
Dividend Yield N/A 1.7%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category Gold US Sector - Materials

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
GLDM +173.7%
XLB +29.3%

Performance Comparison

Period GLDM XLB Difference
1 Month -8.03% +4.22% -12.25%
3 Months +3.80% +7.06% -3.26%
6 Months +15.97% +17.75% -1.78%
YTD +10.05% +12.63% -2.58%
1 Year +50.25% +32.89% +17.36%
3 Years +137.19% +28.85% +108.34%
5 Years +173.65% +29.33% +144.32%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLDM Fees XLB Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $199 $159 $40
$10,000 20 years $856 $686 $170
$10,000 30 years $2,758 $2,212 $546
$50,000 10 years $995 $797 $198
$50,000 30 years $13,790 $11,061 $2,728
$100,000 30 years $27,580 $22,123 $5,457

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLDM XLB
Annualized Volatility 17.7% 18.9%
Max Drawdown -20.9% -25.7%
Sharpe Ratio 0.98 0.13

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLDM XLB
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $0.87
Dividend Yield 0.00% 1.68%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

XLB Top Holdings

NameWeight
Linde plcLIN14.06%
Newmont CorporationNEM7.76%
Freeport-McMoRan Inc.FCX5.63%
CRH plcCRH4.72%
Vulcan Materials CompanyVMC4.68%
The Sherwin-Williams CompanySHW4.66%
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.APD4.60%
Corteva, Inc.CTVA4.60%
Nucor CorporationNUE4.57%
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.MLM4.50%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLB if...

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

Choose GLDM if...

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

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