GOVT vs. IAU

Last updated Apr 3, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU).

GOVT and IAU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GOVT is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury Bond Index. It was launched on Feb 14, 2012. IAU is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price. It was launched on Jan 21, 2005. Both GOVT and IAU 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

GOVT vs. IAU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GOVT vs. IAU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF	0.22%	3.77%	2.95%	4.17%	-13.39%	-1.11%	7.28%	7.36%	0.26%	2.19%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	8.34%	63.95%	26.85%	12.84%	-0.63%	-4.00%	25.03%	17.98%	-1.76%	12.91%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GOVT achieves a 0.22% return, which is significantly lower than IAU's 8.34% return. Over the past 10 years, GOVT has underperformed IAU with an annualized return of 0.97%, while IAU has yielded a comparatively higher 14.14% annualized return.

GOVT

• 1D: 0.20%
• 1M: -1.07%
• YTD: 0.22%
• 6M: 0.69%
• 1Y: 3.22%
• 3Y*: 2.49%
• 5Y*: -0.22%
• 10Y*: 0.97%

IAU

• 1D: -1.94%
• 1M: -8.32%
• YTD: 8.34%
• 6M: 21.05%
• 1Y: 49.18%
• 3Y*: 32.68%
• 5Y*: 21.72%
• 10Y*: 14.14%

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

GOVT vs. IAU - Expense Ratio Comparison

GOVT has a 0.15% expense ratio, which is lower than IAU's 0.25% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

IAU

iShares Gold Trust

GOVT

iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF

Return for Risk

GOVT vs. IAU — Risk / Return Rank

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

GOVT

GOVT Risk / Return Rank: 35
GOVT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 38
GOVT Sortino Ratio Rank: 37
GOVT Omega Ratio Rank: 30
GOVT Calmar Ratio Rank: 38
GOVT Martin Ratio Rank: 30

IAU

IAU Risk / Return Rank: 80
IAU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 84
IAU Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
IAU Omega Ratio Rank: 80
IAU Calmar Ratio Rank: 80
IAU Martin Ratio Rank: 76

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.

GOVT vs. IAU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) 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.

	GOVT	IAU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.80	1.78	-0.98
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.17	2.21	-1.05
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.14	1.33	-0.19
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.21	2.58	-1.36
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.10	9.32	-6.22
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GOVT vs. IAU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GOVT Sharpe Ratio is 0.80, which is lower than the IAU Sharpe Ratio of 1.78. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GOVT 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

	GOVT	IAU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.80	1.78	-0.98
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.04	1.23	-1.27
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.19	0.89	-0.71
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.27	0.64	-0.38

Correlation

The correlation between GOVT and IAU is 0.32, 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

GOVT vs. IAU - Dividend Comparison

GOVT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.52%, while IAU has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GOVT iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF	3.52%	3.49%	3.14%	2.65%	1.77%	0.96%	2.17%	1.98%	1.97%	1.57%	1.40%	1.25%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	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

GOVT vs. IAU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GOVT drawdown since its inception was -19.07%, smaller than the maximum IAU drawdown of -45.14%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GOVT and IAU.

Drawdown Indicators

	GOVT	IAU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-19.07%	-45.14%	+26.07%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.58%	-19.18%	+16.60%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-16.60%	-20.93%	+4.33%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-19.07%	-21.82%	+2.75%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-6.87%	-13.42%	+6.55%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-5.23%	-15.98%	+10.75%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.01%	5.30%	-4.29%

Volatility

GOVT vs. IAU - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) is 1.47%, while iShares Gold Trust (IAU) has a volatility of 10.50%. This indicates that GOVT 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

	GOVT	IAU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.47%	10.50%	-9.03%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.45%	24.24%	-21.79%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	4.05%	27.72%	-23.67%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	6.03%	17.71%	-11.68%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	5.22%	15.84%	-10.62%