RING vs. FGDL

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING) and Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL).

RING and FGDL are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. RING is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI ACWI Select Gold Miners Investable Market Index. It was launched on Jan 31, 2012. FGDL is a passively managed fund by Franklin Templeton that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price PM ($/ozt). It was launched on Jun 30, 2022. Both RING and FGDL 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

RING vs. FGDL - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING) and Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

RING vs. FGDL - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022
RING iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF	7.25%	164.72%	15.98%	12.29%	3.84%
FGDL Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF	7.93%	64.15%	27.31%	12.92%	0.91%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, RING achieves a 7.25% return, which is significantly lower than FGDL's 7.93% return.

RING

• 1D: 6.67%
• 1M: -20.56%
• YTD: 7.25%
• 6M: 22.69%
• 1Y: 108.05%
• 3Y*: 48.58%
• 5Y*: 24.99%
• 10Y*: 17.97%

FGDL

• 1D: 3.39%
• 1M: -11.22%
• YTD: 7.93%
• 6M: 20.34%
• 1Y: 48.63%
• 3Y*: 33.11%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

RING vs. FGDL - Expense Ratio Comparison

RING has a 0.39% expense ratio, which is higher than FGDL's 0.15% expense ratio.

RING

iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF

FGDL

Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF

Return for Risk

RING vs. FGDL — Risk / Return Rank

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

RING

RING Risk / Return Rank: 93
RING Sharpe Ratio Rank: 95
RING Sortino Ratio Rank: 91
RING Omega Ratio Rank: 91
RING Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
RING Martin Ratio Rank: 93

FGDL

FGDL Risk / Return Rank: 85
FGDL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 87
FGDL Sortino Ratio Rank: 84
FGDL Omega Ratio Rank: 83
FGDL Calmar Ratio Rank: 87
FGDL Martin Ratio Rank: 85

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.

RING vs. FGDL - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING) and Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL). 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.

	RING	FGDL	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.33	1.75	+0.58
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.52	2.16	+0.36
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.37	1.32	+0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.64	2.64	+1.00
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	13.06	9.52	+3.54
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

RING vs. FGDL - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current RING Sharpe Ratio is 2.33, which is higher than the FGDL Sharpe Ratio of 1.75. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of RING and FGDL, 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

	RING	FGDL	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.33	1.75	+0.58
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.70	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.49	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.12	1.52	-1.40

Correlation

The correlation between RING and FGDL is 0.77, 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

RING vs. FGDL - Dividend Comparison

RING's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.78%, while FGDL has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
RING iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF	0.78%	0.84%	1.43%	2.01%	2.29%	2.38%	0.83%	0.83%	0.70%	0.42%	1.41%	0.96%
FGDL Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF	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

RING vs. FGDL - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum RING drawdown since its inception was -79.47%, which is greater than FGDL's maximum drawdown of -19.23%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for RING and FGDL.

Drawdown Indicators

	RING	FGDL	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-79.47%	-19.23%	-60.24%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-30.11%	-19.23%	-10.88%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-47.94%	—	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-52.04%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-20.56%	-13.76%	-6.80%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-47.75%	-3.34%	-44.41%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	8.38%	5.33%	+3.05%

Volatility

RING vs. FGDL - Volatility Comparison

iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING) has a higher volatility of 18.16% compared to Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL) at 10.75%. This indicates that RING's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than FGDL based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	RING	FGDL	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	18.16%	10.75%	+7.41%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	38.56%	24.37%	+14.19%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	46.62%	28.00%	+18.62%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	35.85%	18.96%	+16.89%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	36.85%	18.96%	+17.89%