MTA vs. IAU

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Metalla Royalty & Streaming Ltd. (MTA) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU).

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

MTA vs. IAU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Metalla Royalty & Streaming Ltd. (MTA) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

MTA vs. IAU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
MTA Metalla Royalty & Streaming Ltd.	-14.78%	209.96%	-18.51%	-36.95%	-29.15%	-44.82%	133.14%	122.65%	20.19%	6.75%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	8.61%	63.95%	26.85%	12.84%	-0.63%	-4.00%	25.03%	17.98%	-1.76%	0.32%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, MTA achieves a -14.78% return, which is significantly lower than IAU's 8.61% return.

MTA

• 1D: 9.41%
• 1M: -26.74%
• YTD: -14.78%
• 6M: 4.41%
• 1Y: 131.82%
• 3Y*: 6.03%
• 5Y*: -6.27%
• 10Y*: —

IAU

• 1D: 3.80%
• 1M: -11.01%
• YTD: 8.61%
• 6M: 21.15%
• 1Y: 49.53%
• 3Y*: 33.12%
• 5Y*: 21.78%
• 10Y*: 14.08%

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

Return for Risk

MTA vs. IAU — Risk / Return Rank

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

MTA

MTA Risk / Return Rank: 91
MTA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 94
MTA Sortino Ratio Rank: 90
MTA Omega Ratio Rank: 87
MTA Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
MTA Martin Ratio Rank: 94

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.

MTA vs. IAU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Metalla Royalty & Streaming Ltd. (MTA) 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.

	MTA	IAU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.46	1.80	+0.65
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.86	2.24	+0.62
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.36	1.33	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.78	2.69	+1.08
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	15.14	9.97	+5.17
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MTA vs. IAU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MTA Sharpe Ratio is 2.46, which is higher than the IAU Sharpe Ratio of 1.80. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MTA 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

	MTA	IAU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.46	1.80	+0.65
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.12	1.24	-1.36
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.89	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.28	0.64	-0.36

Correlation

The correlation between MTA and IAU is 0.47, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

MTA vs. IAU - Dividend Comparison

Neither MTA nor IAU has paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
MTA Metalla Royalty & Streaming Ltd.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.75%	0.00%	0.00%	0.10%	0.75%	2.16%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

MTA vs. IAU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MTA drawdown since its inception was -81.73%, which is greater than IAU's maximum drawdown of -45.14%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MTA and IAU.

Drawdown Indicators

	MTA	IAU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-81.73%	-45.14%	-36.59%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-33.04%	-19.18%	-13.86%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-78.00%	-20.93%	-57.07%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-21.82%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-49.33%	-13.20%	-36.13%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-41.29%	-15.98%	-25.31%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	8.24%	5.18%	+3.06%

Volatility

MTA vs. IAU - Volatility Comparison

Metalla Royalty & Streaming Ltd. (MTA) has a higher volatility of 20.25% compared to iShares Gold Trust (IAU) at 11.02%. This indicates that MTA's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than IAU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MTA	IAU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	20.25%	11.02%	+9.23%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	40.20%	24.11%	+16.09%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	54.05%	27.62%	+26.43%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	53.32%	17.69%	+35.63%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	57.25%	15.82%	+41.43%