Top Gold ETFs/ETCs
The gold price
Gold is seen as a safe haven by many investors. Especially in financial turmoil, it has shown to stabilise equity/bond portfolios.
An investment in gold is easily done with listed products, like ETFs or ETCs. These investment products track the spot gold price closely, after taking management fees into account. The advantage of exchange-traded gold products is the minimal bid-ask spread compared to a direct trade in gold bullion. This is mainly due to the large 12.5kg bullion that are held and traded at fund level. Currently, gold is tracked by 17 ETFs and/or ETCs.
Besides exchange-traded products on gold in US dollar, there are currency-hedged products available as well. These products are also considered in our comparison.
The difference between Gold ETFs and Gold ETCs
The diversification principles of the regulatory investment fund framework (UCITS) do not allow to launch a UCITS fund with only one constituent. Due to this fact, gold is mainly available as an exchange-traded commodity (ETC) in European countries. These products are certificates issued by a financial institution collateralised with physical gold. In contrast to the EU, Swiss regulation allows ETFs for single commodities like gold.
Cost of Gold ETFs/ETCs
The total expense ratio (TER) of Gold ETCs is between 0.11% p.a. and 0.69% p.a.. These costs contain insurance premium, storage costs and additional management fees for the product.
The best Gold ETF/ETC by 1-year fund return as of 31/03/2024
| 1 | iShares Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 11.15% | ||
| 2 | WisdomTree Physical Gold - GBP Daily Hedged | 10.71% | ||
| 3 | Xtrackers Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 10.56% |
All Gold ETFs/ETCs ranked by fund return
The largest Gold ETF/ETC by fund size in GBP
| 1 | Invesco Physical Gold A | 11,336 m | ||
| 2 | iShares Physical Gold ETC | 10,526 m | ||
| 3 | WisdomTree Physical Gold | 3,405 m |
All Gold ETFs/ETCs ranked by fund size
The cheapest Gold ETF/ETC by total expense ratio
| 1 | Xtrackers IE Physical Gold ETC Securities | 0.11% p.a. | ||
| 2 | Amundi Physical Gold ETC (C) | 0.12% p.a. | ||
| 3 | Invesco Physical Gold A | 0.12% p.a. |
All Gold ETFs/ETCs ranked by total expense ratio
Gold ETFs/ETCs in comparison
Besides return, there are further important factors to consider when selecting a Gold ETF or ETC. In order to provide a sound decision basis, you find a list of all Gold ETFs/ETCs with details on size, cost, age, currency hedge, instrument type and collateral ranked by fund size.
Compare all Gold ETFs/ETCs in detail
Compare all Gold ETFs/ETCs in a chart
| Provider ISIN | Fund size in m GBP | TER in % | Currency hedge | Instrument type | Replication method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invesco Physical Gold AIE00B579F325 | 11,336 | 0.12% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| iShares Physical Gold ETCIE00B4ND3602 | 10,526 | 0.12% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| WisdomTree Physical GoldJE00B1VS3770 | 3,405 | 0.39% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Amundi Physical Gold ETC (C)FR0013416716 | 3,289 | 0.12% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Xtrackers IE Physical Gold ETC SecuritiesDE000A2T0VU5 | 2,433 | 0.11% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Gold Bullion SecuritiesGB00B00FHZ82 | 2,106 | 0.40% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| WisdomTree Physical Swiss GoldJE00B588CD74 | 1,860 | 0.15% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold ETC (EUR)DE000A1E0HR8 | 1,515 | 0.25% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| WisdomTree Physical Gold - GBP Daily HedgedJE00B7VG2M16 | 985 | 0.25% p.a. | Yes (in GBP) | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold EUR Hedged ETCDE000A1EK0G3 | 946 | 0.59% p.a. | Yes (in EUR) | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Invesco Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETCXS2183935605 | 899 | 0.34% p.a. | Yes (in GBP) | ETC | Physically backed | |
| HANetf The Royal Mint Responsibly Sourced Physical Gold ETCXS2115336336 | 549 | 0.22% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| WisdomTree Core Physical GoldJE00BN2CJ301 | 488 | 0.12% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold ETCGB00B5840F36 | 310 | 0.25% p.a. | - | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Xtrackers IE Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC SecuritiesDE000A2UDH48 | 245 | 0.28% p.a. | Yes (in GBP) | ETC | Physically backed | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETCGB00B68FL050 | 27 | 0.69% p.a. | Yes (in GBP) | ETC | Physically backed | |
| iShares Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETCIE000Q2P3ZQ3 | 12 | 0.25% p.a. | Yes (in GBP) | ETC | Physically backed |
Source: justETF.com; As of 24/04/2024
Return comparison of all Gold ETFs/ETCs
The table shows the returns of all Gold ETFs/ETCs in comparison. All return figures are including dividends as of month end. Besides the return the reference date on which you conduct the comparison is important. In order to find the best Gold ETF/ETC, you can also perform a chart comparison.
| ETF/ETC | 1 month in % | 3 months in % | 6 months in % | 1 year in % | 3 years in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 8.47% | 7.21% | 19.17% | 11.15% | - | |
| WisdomTree Physical Gold - GBP Daily Hedged | 8.43% | 7.02% | 18.89% | 10.71% | 25.60% | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 8.37% | 7.06% | 18.89% | 10.56% | 24.54% | |
| Invesco Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 8.44% | 7.11% | 18.87% | 10.55% | 25.10% | |
| Xtrackers IE Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC Securities | 8.37% | 7.01% | 17.80% | 10.33% | 25.04% | |
| WisdomTree Physical Gold | 8.94% | 8.34% | 16.27% | 9.84% | 41.81% | |
| Invesco Physical Gold A | 8.62% | 8.06% | 16.04% | 9.71% | 42.48% | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold ETC | 8.61% | 7.99% | 15.97% | 9.62% | 41.94% | |
| HANetf The Royal Mint Responsibly Sourced Physical Gold ETC | 8.61% | 8.07% | 15.91% | 9.57% | 42.01% | |
| Xtrackers IE Physical Gold ETC Securities | 8.32% | 8.19% | 15.78% | 9.55% | 42.32% | |
| Amundi Physical Gold ETC (C) | 8.29% | 8.14% | 15.71% | 9.52% | 41.35% | |
| WisdomTree Physical Swiss Gold | 8.37% | 7.82% | 15.78% | 9.50% | 42.07% | |
| iShares Physical Gold ETC | 8.31% | 8.14% | 15.72% | 9.49% | 42.35% | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold ETC (EUR) | 8.32% | 8.14% | 15.69% | 9.41% | 41.81% | |
| Gold Bullion Securities | 8.04% | 7.43% | 15.26% | 8.90% | 40.58% | |
| WisdomTree Core Physical Gold | 7.05% | 6.78% | 13.92% | 8.23% | 40.47% | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold EUR Hedged ETC | 8.02% | 5.02% | 16.76% | 6.15% | 21.94% |
| ETF/ETC | 2024 in % | 2023 in % | 2022 in % | 2021 in % | 2020 in % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WisdomTree Physical Gold | 8.34% | 7.05% | 11.66% | -3.11% | 19.90% | |
| Xtrackers IE Physical Gold ETC Securities | 8.19% | 7.20% | 12.97% | -3.00% | - | |
| Amundi Physical Gold ETC (C) | 8.14% | 7.18% | 12.91% | -3.30% | 19.93% | |
| iShares Physical Gold ETC | 8.14% | 7.23% | 12.97% | -3.84% | 20.17% | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold ETC (EUR) | 8.14% | 7.08% | 12.89% | -3.58% | 19.86% | |
| HANetf The Royal Mint Responsibly Sourced Physical Gold ETC | 8.07% | 7.11% | 11.90% | -2.96% | - | |
| Invesco Physical Gold A | 8.06% | 7.32% | 12.00% | -2.89% | 20.10% | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold ETC | 7.99% | 7.22% | 11.81% | -2.98% | 20.08% | |
| WisdomTree Physical Swiss Gold | 7.82% | 7.30% | 11.92% | -2.88% | 20.17% | |
| Gold Bullion Securities | 7.43% | 7.03% | 11.64% | -3.11% | 19.89% | |
| iShares Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 7.21% | 12.09% | - | - | - | |
| Invesco Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 7.11% | 11.47% | -1.78% | -5.15% | - | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC | 7.06% | 11.62% | -1.63% | -4.95% | 22.16% | |
| WisdomTree Physical Gold - GBP Daily Hedged | 7.02% | 11.78% | -1.63% | -5.02% | 21.88% | |
| Xtrackers IE Physical Gold GBP Hedged ETC Securities | 7.01% | 11.49% | -1.78% | -5.12% | - | |
| WisdomTree Core Physical Gold | 6.78% | 7.26% | 11.82% | -2.90% | - | |
| Xtrackers Physical Gold EUR Hedged ETC | 5.02% | 7.99% | 3.59% | -12.37% | 29.04% |
Source: justETF.com; As of 31/03/2024; Calculations in GBP including dividends