AINF.L vs. IAU

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares AI Infrastructure UCITS ETF USD Accumulating (AINF.L) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU).

AINF.L and IAU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. AINF.L is managed by iShares. IAU is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price. It was launched on Jan 21, 2005.

Performance

AINF.L vs. IAU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a £10,000 investment in iShares AI Infrastructure UCITS ETF USD Accumulating (AINF.L) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

AINF.L vs. IAU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
AINF.L iShares AI Infrastructure UCITS ETF USD Accumulating	-1.18%	34.74%	0.43%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	10.67%	52.27%	0.55%

Different Trading Currencies

AINF.L is traded in GBP, while IAU is traded in USD. To make them comparable, the IAU values have been converted to GBP using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, AINF.L achieves a -1.18% return, which is significantly lower than IAU's 6.72% return.

AINF.L

• 1D: 0.26%
• 1M: -6.11%
• YTD: -1.18%
• 6M: 8.62%
• 1Y: 54.26%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

IAU

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: -12.50%
• YTD: 6.72%
• 6M: 18.82%
• 1Y: 40.86%
• 3Y*: 28.50%
• 5Y*: 21.98%
• 10Y*: 14.50%

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

AINF.L vs. IAU - Expense Ratio Comparison

IAU

iShares Gold Trust

Return for Risk

AINF.L vs. IAU — Risk / Return Rank

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

AINF.L

AINF.L Risk / Return Rank: 92
AINF.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 92
AINF.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 92
AINF.L Omega Ratio Rank: 89
AINF.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
AINF.L Martin Ratio Rank: 92

IAU

IAU Risk / Return Rank: 87
IAU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
IAU Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
IAU Omega Ratio Rank: 86
IAU Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
IAU 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.

AINF.L vs. IAU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares AI Infrastructure UCITS ETF USD Accumulating (AINF.L) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). 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.

	AINF.L	IAU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.13	1.61	+0.52
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.75	2.05	+0.71
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.37	1.31	+0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.77	2.42	+1.36
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	13.14	9.22	+3.92
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

AINF.L vs. IAU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current AINF.L Sharpe Ratio is 2.13, which is higher than the IAU Sharpe Ratio of 1.61. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of AINF.L and IAU, 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

	AINF.L	IAU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.13	1.61	+0.52
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	1.35	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.90	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.97	0.71	+0.26

Correlation

The correlation between AINF.L and IAU is 0.03, 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

AINF.L vs. IAU - Dividend Comparison

Neither AINF.L nor IAU has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Drawdowns

AINF.L vs. IAU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum AINF.L drawdown since its inception was -28.79%, smaller than the maximum IAU drawdown of -41.56%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for AINF.L and IAU.

Drawdown Indicators

	AINF.L	IAU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-28.79%	-45.14%	+16.35%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.54%	-19.18%	+5.64%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-20.93%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-21.82%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.70%	-13.20%	+5.50%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.59%	-15.98%	+10.39%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.89%	5.18%	-1.29%

Volatility

AINF.L vs. IAU - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares AI Infrastructure UCITS ETF USD Accumulating (AINF.L) is 6.62%, while iShares Gold Trust (IAU) has a volatility of 10.47%. This indicates that AINF.L experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than IAU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	AINF.L	IAU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	6.62%	10.47%	-3.85%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	16.68%	22.82%	-6.14%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	25.38%	25.54%	-0.16%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	25.75%	16.41%	+9.34%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	25.75%	16.15%	+9.60%