DGT vs. GLD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD).

DGT and GLD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. DGT is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the The Global Dow. It was launched on Sep 25, 2000. GLD is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price PM. It was launched on Nov 18, 2004. Both DGT and GLD are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

DGT vs. GLD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

DGT vs. GLD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
DGT State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF	2.04%	30.04%	14.15%	20.95%	-8.00%	21.50%	9.67%	22.19%	-9.65%	24.87%
GLD SPDR Gold Shares	8.57%	63.68%	26.66%	12.69%	-0.77%	-4.15%	24.81%	17.86%	-1.94%	12.81%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DGT achieves a 2.04% return, which is significantly lower than GLD's 8.57% return. Over the past 10 years, DGT has underperformed GLD with an annualized return of 13.19%, while GLD has yielded a comparatively higher 13.92% annualized return.

DGT

• 1D: 2.46%
• 1M: -5.77%
• YTD: 2.04%
• 6M: 6.71%
• 1Y: 24.92%
• 3Y*: 19.69%
• 5Y*: 12.99%
• 10Y*: 13.19%

GLD

• 1D: 3.79%
• 1M: -11.05%
• YTD: 8.57%
• 6M: 21.05%
• 1Y: 49.33%
• 3Y*: 32.92%
• 5Y*: 21.58%
• 10Y*: 13.92%

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

DGT vs. GLD - Expense Ratio Comparison

DGT has a 0.50% expense ratio, which is higher than GLD's 0.40% expense ratio.

DGT

State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF

GLD

SPDR Gold Shares

Return for Risk

DGT vs. GLD — Risk / Return Rank

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

DGT

DGT Risk / Return Rank: 83
DGT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 82
DGT Sortino Ratio Rank: 83
DGT Omega Ratio Rank: 86
DGT Calmar Ratio Rank: 78
DGT Martin Ratio Rank: 86

GLD

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

DGT vs. GLD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD). 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.

	DGT	GLD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.53	1.79	-0.26
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.13	2.21	-0.09
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.34	1.33	+0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.01	2.68	-0.67
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.79	9.90	-0.11
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DGT vs. GLD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DGT Sharpe Ratio is 1.53, which is comparable to the GLD Sharpe Ratio of 1.79. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DGT and GLD, 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

	DGT	GLD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.53	1.79	-0.26
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.86	1.22	-0.36
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.78	0.88	-0.10
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.27	0.62	-0.35

Correlation

The correlation between DGT and GLD is 0.13, 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

DGT vs. GLD - Dividend Comparison

DGT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.79%, while GLD has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
DGT State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF	2.79%	2.78%	2.83%	2.53%	3.15%	2.66%	1.97%	2.76%	2.50%	1.93%	2.31%	2.37%
GLD SPDR Gold Shares	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

DGT vs. GLD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DGT drawdown since its inception was -55.36%, which is greater than GLD's maximum drawdown of -45.56%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DGT and GLD.

Drawdown Indicators

	DGT	GLD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-55.36%	-45.56%	-9.80%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.45%	-19.21%	+6.76%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-25.18%	-21.03%	-4.15%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-34.40%	-22.00%	-12.40%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-5.87%	-13.23%	+7.36%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.92%	-16.17%	+2.25%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.56%	5.20%	-2.64%

Volatility

DGT vs. GLD - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for State Street SPDR Global Dow ETF (DGT) is 5.86%, while SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) has a volatility of 11.06%. This indicates that DGT experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than GLD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	DGT	GLD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.86%	11.06%	-5.20%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	9.08%	24.30%	-15.22%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	16.40%	27.80%	-11.40%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	15.10%	17.74%	-2.64%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.94%	15.87%	+1.07%