SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L
SAAA.L (iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist)) and SGLN.L (iShares Physical Gold ETC) are both exchange-traded funds - SAAA.L is a Global Bonds fund tracking the Bloomberg Global Aggregate TR USD, while SGLN.L is a Gold fund tracking the LBMA Gold Price. Both are passively managed. Over the past 10 years, SAAA.L returned 0.39%/yr vs 14.27%/yr for SGLN.L. At a 0.44 correlation, their price movements are largely independent. SAAA.L charges 0.20%/yr vs 0.12%/yr for SGLN.L.
Performance
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L - Performance Comparison
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Different Trading Currencies
SAAA.L is traded in GBP, while SGLN.L is traded in GBp. To make them comparable, the SGLN.L values have been converted to GBP using the latest available exchange rates.
Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, SAAA.L achieves a 0.29% return, which is significantly lower than SGLN.L's 3.89% return. Over the past 10 years, SAAA.L has underperformed SGLN.L with an annualized return of 0.39%, while SGLN.L has yielded a comparatively higher 14.27% annualized return.
SAAA.L
- 1D
- 0.19%
- 1M
- 0.80%
- YTD
- 0.29%
- 6M
- 0.21%
- 1Y
- 3.05%
- 3Y*
- 1.29%
- 5Y*
- -1.97%
- 10Y*
- 0.39%
SGLN.L
- 1D
- 0.70%
- 1M
- -1.36%
- YTD
- 3.89%
- 6M
- 5.42%
- 1Y
- 33.75%
- 3Y*
- 28.17%
- 5Y*
- 20.12%
- 10Y*
- 14.27%
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAAA.L iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) | 0.29% | 2.96% | -3.46% | 2.32% | -11.40% | -6.94% | 8.12% | 1.61% | 2.74% | -0.11% |
SGLN.L iShares Physical Gold ETC | 3.89% | 53.66% | 28.20% | 7.24% | 11.84% | -2.57% | 19.62% | 14.63% | 4.36% | 1.68% |
Correlation
The correlation between SAAA.L and SGLN.L is 0.23, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.
| Correlation | |
|---|---|
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 0.23 |
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period | 0.24 |
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.32 |
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.46 |
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Oct 26, 2012 | 0.44 |
Over the past year, the correlation between SAAA.L and SGLN.L has dropped to 0.23 - well below their long-term average of 0.44, suggesting their price drivers have been diverging.
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Return for Risk
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L — Risk / Return Rank
SAAA.L
SGLN.L
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) (SAAA.L) and iShares Physical Gold ETC (SGLN.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.
| SAAA.L | SGLN.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.77 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.87 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.11 | 1.29 | -0.17 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 0.79 | 1.91 | -1.12 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 1.74 | 5.05 | -3.31 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
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Sharpe Ratios by Period
| SAAA.L | SGLN.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 0.67 | 1.45 | -0.77 |
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | -0.29 | 1.23 | -1.53 |
Sharpe Ratio (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.05 | 0.90 | -0.85 |
Sharpe Ratio (All Time)Calculated using the full available price history | 0.12 | 0.55 | -0.43 |
Drawdowns
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum SAAA.L drawdown since its inception was -24.70%, smaller than the maximum SGLN.L drawdown of -41.71%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SAAA.L and SGLN.L.
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Drawdown Indicators
| SAAA.L | SGLN.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -24.70% | -41.71% | +17.01% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -3.83% | -17.57% | +13.74% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -5.68% | -17.57% | +11.89% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -18.85% | -17.57% | -1.28% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -24.70% | -21.91% | -2.79% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -18.59% | -16.01% | -2.58% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -9.88% | -14.76% | +4.88% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 1.75% | 6.67% | -4.92% |
Volatility
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L - Volatility Comparison
The current volatility for iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) (SAAA.L) is 1.36%, while iShares Physical Gold ETC (SGLN.L) has a volatility of 5.08%. This indicates that SAAA.L experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than SGLN.L based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| SAAA.L | SGLN.L | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 1.36% | 5.08% | -3.72% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 3.45% | 20.08% | -16.63% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 4.50% | 23.19% | -18.69% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 6.75% | 16.30% | -9.55% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 7.86% | 15.78% | -7.92% |
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L - Expense Ratio Comparison
SAAA.L has a 0.20% expense ratio, which is higher than SGLN.L's 0.12% 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
SAAA.L vs. SGLN.L - Dividend Comparison
SAAA.L's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.68%, while SGLN.L has not paid dividends to shareholders.
| Position | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAAA.L iShares Global AAA-AA Government Bond UCITS ETF (Dist) | 2.68% | 2.48% | 2.34% | 1.57% | 0.76% | 0.48% | 0.61% | 0.89% | 0.87% | 0.81% | 0.83% | 1.06% |
SGLN.L iShares Physical Gold ETC | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Frequently Asked Questions
SAAA.L and SGLN.L have a correlation of 0.23, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.
On fees, SGLN.L is cheaper at 0.12% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.
SGLN.L is cheaper with a 0.12% expense ratio, compared with 0.20% for SAAA.L.
SAAA.L is categorized as Global Bonds, while SGLN.L is Gold. SAAA.L tracks Bloomberg Global Aggregate TR USD, while SGLN.L tracks LBMA Gold Price. Their fees differ too: 0.20% for SAAA.L and 0.12% for SGLN.L.
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