SGDJ vs. IAU

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF (SGDJ) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU).

SGDJ and IAU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SGDJ is a passively managed fund by Sprott that tracks the performance of the Solactive Junior Gold Miners Custom Factors Index. It was launched on Mar 31, 2015. IAU is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price. It was launched on Jan 21, 2005. Both SGDJ and IAU 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

SGDJ vs. IAU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF (SGDJ) and iShares Gold Trust (IAU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SGDJ vs. IAU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SGDJ Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF	6.92%	174.44%	19.35%	6.66%	-27.60%	-15.12%	47.91%	37.00%	-25.63%	5.94%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	10.48%	63.95%	26.85%	12.84%	-0.63%	-4.00%	25.03%	17.98%	-1.76%	12.91%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SGDJ achieves a 6.92% return, which is significantly lower than IAU's 10.48% return. Over the past 10 years, SGDJ has outperformed IAU with an annualized return of 15.04%, while IAU has yielded a comparatively lower 14.27% annualized return.

SGDJ

• 1D: 4.50%
• 1M: -21.22%
• YTD: 6.92%
• 6M: 31.71%
• 1Y: 132.50%
• 3Y*: 47.73%
• 5Y*: 21.70%
• 10Y*: 15.04%

IAU

• 1D: 1.72%
• 1M: -10.66%
• YTD: 10.48%
• 6M: 23.05%
• 1Y: 52.36%
• 3Y*: 33.88%
• 5Y*: 22.19%
• 10Y*: 14.27%

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

SGDJ vs. IAU - Expense Ratio Comparison

SGDJ has a 0.50% expense ratio, which is higher than IAU's 0.25% expense ratio.

SGDJ

Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF

IAU

iShares Gold Trust

Return for Risk

SGDJ vs. IAU — Risk / Return Rank

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

SGDJ

SGDJ Risk / Return Rank: 93
SGDJ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 96
SGDJ Sortino Ratio Rank: 91
SGDJ Omega Ratio Rank: 90
SGDJ Calmar Ratio Rank: 94
SGDJ Martin Ratio Rank: 93

IAU

IAU Risk / Return Rank: 86
IAU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
IAU Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
IAU Omega Ratio Rank: 85
IAU Calmar Ratio Rank: 86
IAU Martin Ratio Rank: 84

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.

SGDJ vs. IAU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF (SGDJ) 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.

	SGDJ	IAU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.63	1.90	+0.73
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.71	2.33	+0.38
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.39	1.35	+0.04
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.90	2.72	+1.18
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	14.05	9.95	+4.09
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SGDJ vs. IAU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SGDJ Sharpe Ratio is 2.63, which is higher than the IAU Sharpe Ratio of 1.90. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SGDJ 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

	SGDJ	IAU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.63	1.90	+0.73
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.55	1.26	-0.71
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.37	0.90	-0.54
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.38	0.65	-0.27

Correlation

The correlation between SGDJ and IAU is 0.75, 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

SGDJ vs. IAU - Dividend Comparison

SGDJ's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 7.83%, while IAU has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SGDJ Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF	7.83%	8.37%	6.55%	4.55%	2.46%	2.20%	1.97%	0.65%	0.00%	0.14%	1.77%	0.85%
IAU iShares Gold Trust	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

SGDJ vs. IAU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SGDJ drawdown since its inception was -59.27%, which is greater than IAU's maximum drawdown of -45.14%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SGDJ and IAU.

Drawdown Indicators

	SGDJ	IAU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-59.27%	-45.14%	-14.13%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-33.22%	-19.18%	-14.04%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-56.82%	-20.93%	-35.89%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-59.27%	-21.82%	-37.45%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-22.05%	-11.71%	-10.34%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-26.33%	-15.98%	-10.35%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	9.22%	5.23%	+3.99%

Volatility

SGDJ vs. IAU - Volatility Comparison

Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF (SGDJ) has a higher volatility of 18.92% compared to iShares Gold Trust (IAU) at 10.44%. This indicates that SGDJ'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

	SGDJ	IAU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	18.92%	10.44%	+8.48%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	42.20%	24.15%	+18.05%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	50.65%	27.64%	+23.01%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	39.92%	17.70%	+22.22%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	41.25%	15.83%	+25.42%