AGEM vs. SGOL

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF (AGEM) and abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL).

AGEM and SGOL are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. AGEM is an actively managed fund by abrdn. It was launched on Feb 18, 2025. SGOL is a passively managed fund by abrdn that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price PM ($/ozt). It was launched on Sep 9, 2009.

Performance

AGEM vs. SGOL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF (AGEM) and abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AGEM vs. SGOL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
AGEM abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF	6.11%	29.81%
SGOL abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	8.62%	46.77%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AGEM achieves a 6.11% return, which is significantly lower than SGOL's 8.62% return.

AGEM

• 1D: 3.43%
• 1M: -9.42%
• YTD: 6.11%
• 6M: 10.23%
• 1Y: 42.58%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

SGOL

• 1D: 3.77%
• 1M: -10.99%
• YTD: 8.62%
• 6M: 21.22%
• 1Y: 49.63%
• 3Y*: 33.23%
• 5Y*: 21.84%
• 10Y*: 14.11%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

AGEM vs. SGOL - Expense Ratio Comparison

AGEM has a 0.70% expense ratio, which is higher than SGOL's 0.17% expense ratio.

AGEM

abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF

SGOL

abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF

Return for Risk

AGEM vs. SGOL — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

AGEM

AGEM Risk / Return Rank: 90
AGEM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 91
AGEM Sortino Ratio Rank: 91
AGEM Omega Ratio Rank: 91
AGEM Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
AGEM Martin Ratio Rank: 90

SGOL

SGOL Risk / Return Rank: 87
SGOL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
SGOL Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
SGOL Omega Ratio Rank: 86
SGOL Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
SGOL Martin Ratio Rank: 87

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

AGEM vs. SGOL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF (AGEM) and abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	AGEM	SGOL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.06	1.81	+0.25
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.70	2.25	+0.45
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.40	1.33	+0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.02	2.71	+0.31
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	12.05	10.02	+2.03
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AGEM vs. SGOL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AGEM Sharpe Ratio is 2.06, which is comparable to the SGOL Sharpe Ratio of 1.81. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AGEM and SGOL, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	AGEM	SGOL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.06	1.81	+0.25
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	1.25	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.89	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.65	0.58	+1.07

Correlation

The correlation between AGEM and SGOL is 0.22, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

AGEM vs. SGOL - Dividend Comparison

AGEM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.12%, while SGOL has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025
AGEM abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF	2.12%	1.80%
SGOL abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

AGEM vs. SGOL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AGEM drawdown since its inception was -15.58%, smaller than the maximum SGOL drawdown of -45.51%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AGEM and SGOL.

Drawdown Indicators

	AGEM	SGOL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-15.58%	-45.51%	+29.93%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.92%	-19.14%	+5.22%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-20.92%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-21.56%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-10.97%	-13.21%	+2.24%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.16%	-18.46%	+16.30%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.48%	5.17%	-1.69%

Volatility

AGEM vs. SGOL - Volatility Comparison

abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF (AGEM) and abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL) have volatilities of 10.85% and 10.97%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AGEM	SGOL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.85%	10.97%	-0.12%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.03%	24.00%	-8.97%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	20.74%	27.51%	-6.77%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	20.36%	17.63%	+2.73%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.36%	15.84%	+4.52%