IAUM vs. BGLD

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares Gold Trust Micro (IAUM) and FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF (BGLD).

IAUM and BGLD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IAUM is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price. It was launched on Jun 15, 2021. BGLD is an actively managed fund by FT Vest. It was launched on Jan 20, 2021.

Performance

IAUM vs. BGLD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares Gold Trust Micro (IAUM) and FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF (BGLD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IAUM vs. BGLD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
IAUM iShares Gold Trust Micro	8.63%	64.27%	27.04%	13.12%	-0.49%	3.87%
BGLD FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF	0.18%	33.03%	21.80%	13.24%	-2.42%	-1.98%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IAUM achieves a 8.63% return, which is significantly higher than BGLD's 0.18% return.

IAUM

• 1D: 3.78%
• 1M: -11.00%
• YTD: 8.63%
• 6M: 21.30%
• 1Y: 49.82%
• 3Y*: 33.36%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

BGLD

• 1D: 2.63%
• 1M: -6.42%
• YTD: 0.18%
• 6M: 2.66%
• 1Y: 16.42%
• 3Y*: 20.21%
• 5Y*: 12.18%
• 10Y*: —

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

IAUM vs. BGLD - Expense Ratio Comparison

IAUM has a 0.09% expense ratio, which is lower than BGLD's 0.91% expense ratio.

BGLD

FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF

IAUM

iShares Gold Trust Micro

Return for Risk

IAUM vs. BGLD — Risk / Return Rank

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

IAUM

IAUM Risk / Return Rank: 88
IAUM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
IAUM Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
IAUM Omega Ratio Rank: 86
IAUM Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
IAUM Martin Ratio Rank: 88

BGLD

BGLD Risk / Return Rank: 74
BGLD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
BGLD Sortino Ratio Rank: 77
BGLD Omega Ratio Rank: 76
BGLD Calmar Ratio Rank: 63
BGLD Martin Ratio Rank: 77

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.

IAUM vs. BGLD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Gold Trust Micro (IAUM) and FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF (BGLD). 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.

	IAUM	BGLD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.82	1.37	+0.45
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.26	1.89	+0.36
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.33	1.28	+0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.72	1.51	+1.20
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	10.05	7.80	+2.25
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IAUM vs. BGLD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IAUM Sharpe Ratio is 1.82, which is higher than the BGLD Sharpe Ratio of 1.37. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IAUM and BGLD, 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

	IAUM	BGLD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.82	1.37	+0.45
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	1.24	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.29	1.09	+0.20

Correlation

The correlation between IAUM and BGLD is 0.81, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

IAUM vs. BGLD - Dividend Comparison

IAUM has not paid dividends to shareholders, while BGLD's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 44.24%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022
IAUM iShares Gold Trust Micro	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
BGLD FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF	44.24%	44.32%	25.04%	10.49%	0.40%

Drawdowns

IAUM vs. BGLD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IAUM drawdown since its inception was -20.87%, which is greater than BGLD's maximum drawdown of -16.19%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IAUM and BGLD.

Drawdown Indicators

	IAUM	BGLD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-20.87%	-16.19%	-4.68%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-19.15%	-11.11%	-8.04%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-16.19%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-13.18%	-7.35%	-5.83%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-4.98%	-3.54%	-1.44%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.18%	2.15%	+3.03%

Volatility

IAUM vs. BGLD - Volatility Comparison

iShares Gold Trust Micro (IAUM) has a higher volatility of 10.97% compared to FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF (BGLD) at 6.83%. This indicates that IAUM's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BGLD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IAUM	BGLD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.97%	6.83%	+4.14%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	23.96%	9.28%	+14.68%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	27.51%	12.06%	+15.45%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.78%	9.88%	+7.90%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	17.78%	9.87%	+7.91%