ETF Versus

IAU vs IJH

iShares Gold Trust vs iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

IAU iShares

iShares Gold Trust (IAU) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to gold securities. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.25%. Launched in 2005, the fund has a 21-year track record.

AUM: $73.9B ER: 0.25% Yield: N/A Since: Jan 21, 2005
IJH iShares

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.26%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $111.0B ER: 0.05% Yield: 1.26% Since: May 22, 2000

Quick Verdict

IJH is significantly cheaper at 0.05% vs 0.25% expense ratio, saving you approximately $395 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IAU has significantly outperformed with a 50.0% return vs 31.3%.

Key Metrics

Metric IAU IJH
Expense Ratio 0.25% 0.05%
Dividend Yield N/A 1.3%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category Gold US Mid Cap

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
IAU +171.9%
IJH +31.9%

Performance Comparison

Period IAU IJH Difference
1 Month -8.01% +3.07% -11.08%
3 Months +3.75% +1.81% +1.94%
6 Months +15.89% +9.27% +6.62%
YTD +10.02% +5.32% +4.70%
1 Year +50.03% +31.28% +18.75%
3 Years +136.21% +41.49% +94.72%
5 Years +171.92% +31.89% +140.03%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IAU Fees IJH Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $495 $100 $395
$10,000 20 years $2,111 $430 $1,681
$10,000 30 years $6,758 $1,388 $5,370
$50,000 10 years $2,473 $499 $1,974
$50,000 30 years $33,792 $6,941 $26,851
$100,000 30 years $67,584 $13,882 $53,701

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IAU IJH
Annualized Volatility 17.7% 19.8%
Max Drawdown -20.9% -24.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.97 0.15

Dividend Comparison

Metric IAU IJH
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $0.89
Dividend Yield 0.00% 1.26%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

IJH Top Holdings

NameWeight
TechnipFMC plcFTI0.88%
Flex Ltd.FLEX0.81%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW0.81%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR0.75%
XPO, Inc.XPO0.75%
Woodward, Inc.WWD0.71%
FabrinetFN0.66%
Royal Gold, Inc.RGLD0.65%
MasTec, Inc.MTZ0.64%
Carpenter Technology CorporationCRS0.64%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IJH if...

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

Choose IAU if...

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

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