IAU — iShares Gold Trust
Commodities Ranked #107 of 458 tracked ETFs · Issued by iShares
IAU Price Performance — Growth of $10,000
Value of a $10,000 investment in IAU over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.
IAU Drawdown
The "underwater" chart: IAU's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.
What If You'd Invested in IAU?
See what a lump sum in IAU would have grown to, with the option to add a regular monthly contribution on top. Figures use total returns — dividends are assumed reinvested.
Past performance doesn't predict future results. Assumes contributions on the first trading day of each month, no trading costs or taxes, and reinvested distributions. History is limited to the range published in the site's daily return data.
Overview
The iShares Gold Trust (IAU) is a gold-focused commodity ETF, issued by iShares. It is the 107th ranked ETF among the 458 tracked by ETFValuer, indicating a moderate position in the overall ETF landscape. The fund has an expense ratio of 0.25%, which is relatively low, and a dividend yield of 0.00%, suggesting it does not distribute dividends. With an asset under management (AUM) of $59.7B, IAU is one of the larger ETFs in its category, reflecting significant investor adoption and confidence in the gold market. The price of $86.79 per share indicates that the fund is well-positioned in the market, given its substantial AUM and strong overall rank.
The performance of IAU shows a strong upward trend over the past year, with a 1-year return of +37.48%. This is followed by a 3-year return of +138.63%, indicating a consistent and robust performance over the long term. In the shorter term, the fund has shown significant gains, with a 1-month return of +13.97% and a 1-week return of +5.48%. However, the 1-day return of +1.95% suggests some volatility in the short term. The 6-month return of -9.55% and the year-to-date (YTD) return of +6.41% indicate that the fund has experienced some short-term fluctuations but has generally maintained a positive trajectory over the past year.
The iShares Gold Trust (IAU) is categorized as having a high volatility label, which is consistent with its beta of 0.36. This suggests that the fund's price can be more volatile than the broader market, making it a riskier investment. The Sharpe ratio of 1.14 indicates that the fund provides a good risk-adjusted return, meaning that the returns are relatively high compared to the level of risk taken. The maximum drawdown of -26.36% highlights the potential for significant losses during market downturns. Overall, the combination of high volatility, a moderate beta, a strong Sharpe ratio, and a significant drawdown suggests that IAU is best suited for investors who are willing to accept higher risk for the potential of higher returns, particularly in volatile market conditions.
AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.
Market Backdrop
10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.69% (as of 2026-08-20) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.
CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 16.01 (as of 2026-08-20) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.
Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-07-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.
What IAU's Fees Cost You
IAU charges an expense ratio of 0.25% a year, deducted automatically from the fund's value. Small percentages compound into real money — adjust the figures below to see the impact on your own numbers.
Assumes a constant gross return and no additional contributions — a simplification, but it isolates exactly what the expense ratio costs. Try the full fee calculator to model contributions and compare any two funds.
See it in a portfolio
IAU isn't one of the twelve funds in the portfolio game, but GLD — Gold — sits in the same category and is. It is an equivalent, not a substitute: different holdings, different fee, different returns.
Free, no sign-up, virtual money only.
IAU Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment
Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 0.23% and average daily volume is 6.3M/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $59.7B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.
Domicile & tax treatment: IAU is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.
IAU Performance History
| Period | Return |
|---|---|
| 1-Day | +1.95% |
| 1-Week | +5.48% |
| 1-Month | +13.97% |
| 3-Month | +1.59% |
| 6-Month | -9.55% |
| YTD | +6.41% |
| 1-Year | +37.48% |
| 3-Year | +138.63% |
How IAU Compares to Other Commodities ETFs
| Rank | Grade | Ticker | Name | 1-Year | Exp. Ratio | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #39 | B |
BCI | abrdn Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF | +44.64% | 0.26% | $2.98B |
| #88 | B |
PDBC | Invesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF | +48.69% | 0.59% | $6.40B |
| #98 | B |
GLDM | SPDR Gold MiniShares | +37.70% | 0.1% | $27.4B |
| #107 | B |
IAU | iShares Gold Trust | +37.48% | 0.25% | $59.7B |
| #127 | B |
GLD | SPDR Gold Shares | +37.29% | 0.4% | $130B |
| #128 | B |
DJP | iPath Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return(SM) ETN | +51.06% | 0.7% | $935M |
| #131 | B |
IAUM | iShares Gold Trust Micro | +37.69% | 0.09% | $6.34B |
| #143 | B |
COMT | iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF | +44.27% | 0.48% | $1.19B |
| #145 | B |
SGOL | abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF | +37.63% | 0.17% | $6.73B |
| #167 | C |
DBC | Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund | +47.81% | 0.85% | $1.71B |
| #175 | C |
SLV | iShares Silver Trust | +82.17% | 0.5% | $28.1B |
| #181 | C |
GSG | iShares S&P GSCI Commodity-Indexed Trust | +51.84% | 0.75% | $928M |
| #190 | C |
OUNZ | VanEck Merk Gold Trust | +37.47% | 0.25% | $2.54B |
| #193 | C |
BAR | GraniteShares Gold Trust | +37.57% | 0.1749% | $1.31B |
| #203 | C |
DBB | Invesco DB Base Metals Fund | +35.01% | 0.75% | $362M |
| #224 | C |
USO | United States Oil Fund, LP | +83.13% | 0.86% | $1.99B |
| #266 | C |
CPER | United States Copper Index Fund, LP | +44.58% | 0.88% | $732M |
| #346 | C |
PPLT | abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF | +39.28% | 0.6% | $1.87B |
| #389 | C |
DBA | Invesco DB Agriculture Fund | +7.87% | 0.85% | $1.21B |
| #437 | F |
PALL | abrdn Physical Palladium Shares ETF | +20.23% | 0.6% | $615M |
| #446 | F |
WEAT | Teucrium Wheat Fund | +20.14% | 1% | $295M |
| #458 | F |
UNG | United States Natural Gas Fund, LP | -17.64% | 1.17% | $468M |