IAU vs. UIFS.L

Last updated Jun 9, 2026

IAU (iShares Gold Trust) and UIFS.L (iShares S&P 500 Financials Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc)) are both exchange-traded funds - IAU is a Gold fund tracking the LBMA Gold Price, while UIFS.L is a Financials Equities fund tracking the S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Financials Index. Both are passively managed. Over the past 10 years, IAU returned 12.71%/yr vs 12.51%/yr for UIFS.L. At a correlation of -0.03, they often move in opposite directions. IAU charges 0.25%/yr vs 0.15%/yr for UIFS.L.

Performance

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Gold Trust (IAU) and iShares S&P 500 Financials Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (UIFS.L). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Different Trading Currencies

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

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IAU achieves a 0.26% return, which is significantly higher than UIFS.L's -4.88% return. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with IAU having a 12.71% annualized return and UIFS.L not far behind at 12.51%.

IAU

• 1D: 0.20%
• 1M: -8.43%
• YTD: 0.26%
• 6M: 3.08%
• 1Y: 30.27%
• 3Y*: 29.88%
• 5Y*: 17.71%
• 10Y*: 12.71%

UIFS.L

• 1D: 0.10%
• 1M: 1.79%
• YTD: -4.88%
• 6M: -1.59%
• 1Y: 3.35%
• 3Y*: 17.97%
• 5Y*: 8.14%
• 10Y*: 12.51%

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

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IAU iShares Gold Trust	0.26%	63.95%	26.85%	12.84%	-0.63%	-4.00%	25.03%	17.98%	-1.76%	12.91%
UIFS.L iShares S&P 500 Financials Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc)	-4.88%	15.15%	30.03%	11.72%	-11.09%	36.82%	-3.73%	32.15%	-14.53%	22.68%

Correlation

The correlation between IAU and UIFS.L is 0.07, meaning there is essentially no relationship between their price movements. Each responds to its own set of market drivers, making them strong candidates for combining in a diversified portfolio.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.07
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.09
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.08
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.02
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Nov 20, 2015	-0.03

The correlation between IAU and UIFS.L shifts across timeframes, from -0.03 (all time) to 0.09 (3 years), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors	IAU	UIFS.L
Real Estate	100.0%	-
Basic Materials	-	-
Communication Services	-	-
Consumer Cyclical	-	-
Consumer Defensive	-	-
Energy	-	-
Financial Services	-	98.0%
Healthcare	-	-
Industrials	-	0.2%
Technology	-	1.7%
Utilities	-	-

Return for Risk

IAU vs. UIFS.L — Risk / Return Rank

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

IAU

IAU Risk / Return Rank: 33
IAU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 35
IAU Sortino Ratio Rank: 31
IAU Omega Ratio Rank: 38
IAU Calmar Ratio Rank: 34
IAU Martin Ratio Rank: 29

UIFS.L

UIFS.L Risk / Return Rank: 14
UIFS.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 15
UIFS.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 14
UIFS.L Omega Ratio Rank: 14
UIFS.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 14
UIFS.L Martin Ratio Rank: 14

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.

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

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Gold Trust (IAU) and iShares S&P 500 Financials Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (UIFS.L). 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.

	IAU	UIFS.L	Difference
Sharpe ratio: Return per unit of total volatility	1.14	0.24	+0.91
Sortino ratio: Return per unit of downside risk	1.52	0.45	+1.08
Omega ratio: Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.23	1.05	+0.18
Calmar ratio: Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.52	0.23	+1.28
Martin ratio: Return relative to average drawdown	3.80	0.59	+3.21
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IAU Sharpe Ratio is 1.14, which is higher than the UIFS.L Sharpe Ratio of 0.24. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IAU and UIFS.L, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	IAU	UIFS.L	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.14	0.24	+0.91
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.99	0.35	+0.64
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.80	0.54	+0.26
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.61	0.27	+0.34

Drawdowns

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IAU drawdown since its inception was -45.14%, roughly equal to the maximum UIFS.L drawdown of -47.09%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IAU and UIFS.L.

Drawdown Indicators

	IAU	UIFS.L	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-45.14%	-47.09%	+1.95%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-20.04%	-14.24%	-5.80%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-20.04%	-18.99%	-1.05%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-20.93%	-26.75%	+5.82%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-21.82%	-42.38%	+20.56%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-19.88%	-6.87%	-13.01%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-15.97%	-12.63%	-3.34%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	7.99%	5.67%	+2.32%

Volatility

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Volatility Comparison

iShares Gold Trust (IAU) has a higher volatility of 5.64% compared to iShares S&P 500 Financials Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (UIFS.L) at 4.24%. This indicates that IAU's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than UIFS.L based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IAU	UIFS.L	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.64%	4.24%	+1.40%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	23.33%	10.76%	+12.57%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	26.68%	14.19%	+12.49%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.02%	23.31%	-5.29%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	15.94%	23.10%	-7.16%

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Expense Ratio Comparison

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

Dividends

IAU vs. UIFS.L - Dividend Comparison

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

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both IAU and UIFS.L in my portfolio?

IAU and UIFS.L have a correlation of 0.07, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which ETF is better, IAU or UIFS.L?

On fees, UIFS.L is cheaper at 0.15% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Which ETF is cheaper, IAU or UIFS.L?

UIFS.L is cheaper with a 0.15% expense ratio, compared with 0.25% for IAU.

What is the main difference between IAU and UIFS.L?

IAU is categorized as Gold, while UIFS.L is Financials Equities. IAU tracks LBMA Gold Price, while UIFS.L tracks S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Financials Index. Their fees differ too: 0.25% for IAU and 0.15% for UIFS.L.