Gold's back in the news, and while it's not reaching the highs it hit back in the winter, the metal is commanding attention. The World Gold Council's most recent snapshot showed gold ETFs saw net inflows of $3 billion, with total assets under management for gold ETFs rising 1% to $530 billion .
But why? The Nerdy Investor newsletter writer Sam Taube put it succinctly in this week's markets wrap:
"Gold tends to move in the opposite direction of interest rates (or expected interest rate changes). It doesn’t pay a yield, which means that the opportunity cost of holding it increases when interest rates are going up, but falls when they’re going down. So the feeling that interest rate hikes could be paused for the moment is likely the reason why gold did so well last week."
Below is our complete list of best-performing gold ETFs. We exclude gold exchange-traded notes and leveraged gold ETFs, which may come with added risk or fees.
Best-performing gold ETFs
» Want to add these to your portfolio? See our list of the best brokers for ETF investing. These investment platforms offer a strong selection of tools for building a diversified portfolio, and our list only includes brokers that don't charge commissions for ETF trades.
The best-performing gold ETF by one-year return is iShares Gold Trust Micro (IAUM), which is up 31.94%. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ticker | Company | Performance (Year) | Net Expense Ratio | |||
IAUM | iShares Gold Trust Micro | 31.94% | 0.09% | |||
GLDM | SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust | 31.88% | 0.10% | |||
SGOL | Abrdn Gold ETF Trust | 31.78% | 0.17% | |||
AAAU | Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF | 31.77% | 0.18% | |||
Source: Finviz. Data is current as of August 12, 2026, and is intended for informational purposes only. | ||||||
Nerdy Perspective
Editor's Take
Looking at the data above, this all makes sense. The performance of these ETFs basically mirrors percentage changes in spot gold prices over the last year. Between these ETFs, there are no real differences in holdings or the weights assigned to them. It's just…gold. So, if you're trying to pick one over the other, I'd say it makes sense to focus on expense ratio, especially considering you're not getting a dividend on any of these. When you see expense ratios of 0.15% or higher, you have to wonder: what are you getting for that higher fee? 0.15% is a 67% increase over 0.09%, for example. While these numbers are small, that's a big difference, especially considering the goal of all of these ETFs is to track the price of gold bullion as closely as possible.
What are gold ETFs?
Gold ETFs are exchange-traded funds that give investors exposure to gold without having to directly purchase, store and resell the precious metal. Some gold ETFs track the price of gold, while others invest in companies in the gold-mining industry.
As with other types of ETFs, the issuing company buys stock in gold-related companies or purchases and stores gold bullion itself. Investors buy shares in the fund, whose value rises and falls with the underlying gold price or company stock value.
» MORE: 4 more ways to invest in gold
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How to invest in gold ETFs
Here’s how to buy shares in a gold ETF:
Step 1: Find a gold ETF
You can typically find gold ETFs by searching for them on your broker's website. (No broker? Here's how to open a brokerage account.)
Step 2: Analyze the ETF
It's important to research ETFs before buying, just as you'd research stocks. Two things to check before purchasing shares in a gold ETF:
- Returns. Most (but not all) gold ETFs are pegged to spot gold price, so returns should align with gold price moves.
- Expense ratio. This is the ETF's annual fee, paid out of your investment in the fund. Look for a low one.
And two important notes: The average investor may want to exercise caution when buying leveraged gold ETFs — these use derivatives and borrowed money to bet on future price movements. Another asset to be cautious about is gold exchange-traded notes. ETNs are unsecured debt obligations that don’t actually own the underlying gold (unlike ETFs) and have a greater risk of credit default.
These investments are more for professional investors and generally not suitable for the buy-and-hold strategy favored by many retirement investors.
Step 3: Buy the gold ETF
You can buy ETFs through an online broker just like you’d buy a stock. One approach is to buy them regularly to take advantage of dollar-cost averaging. This strategy means contributing a fixed dollar amount on a set schedule.
» Ready to invest? See our list of the best brokers for ETF investing.
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- 1.World Gold Council. Gold ETF Flows: July 2026.
