SGDLX vs. GOAU

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Sprott Gold Equity Fund (SGDLX) and US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU).

SGDLX is managed by Sprott. It was launched on Jun 28, 1998. GOAU is a passively managed fund by US Global that tracks the performance of the U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners Index. It was launched on Jun 27, 2017.

Performance

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Sprott Gold Equity Fund (SGDLX) and US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
SGDLX Sprott Gold Equity Fund	5.53%	147.67%	20.58%	1.91%	-13.21%	-11.79%	35.30%
GOAU US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF	9.07%	126.68%	13.78%	10.67%	-11.66%	-9.23%	17.14%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SGDLX achieves a 5.53% return, which is significantly lower than GOAU's 9.07% return.

SGDLX

• 1D: 6.88%
• 1M: -20.55%
• YTD: 5.53%
• 6M: 22.83%
• 1Y: 107.73%
• 3Y*: 42.56%
• 5Y*: 22.56%
• 10Y*: —

GOAU

• 1D: 4.64%
• 1M: -17.24%
• YTD: 9.07%
• 6M: 14.84%
• 1Y: 87.28%
• 3Y*: 39.02%
• 5Y*: 20.93%
• 10Y*: —

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

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Expense Ratio Comparison

SGDLX has a 1.44% expense ratio, which is higher than GOAU's 0.60% expense ratio.

SGDLX

Sprott Gold Equity Fund

GOAU

US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF

Return for Risk

SGDLX vs. GOAU — Risk / Return Rank

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

SGDLX

SGDLX Risk / Return Rank: 94
SGDLX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
SGDLX Sortino Ratio Rank: 92
SGDLX Omega Ratio Rank: 91
SGDLX Calmar Ratio Rank: 96
SGDLX Martin Ratio Rank: 95

GOAU

GOAU Risk / Return Rank: 83
GOAU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 87
GOAU Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
GOAU Omega Ratio Rank: 79
GOAU Calmar Ratio Rank: 86
GOAU Martin Ratio Rank: 81

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.

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Sprott Gold Equity Fund (SGDLX) and US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU). 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.

	SGDLX	GOAU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.65	1.88	+0.77
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.80	2.17	+0.63
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.42	1.32	+0.10
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.72	2.78	+0.94
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	13.16	9.55	+3.61
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SGDLX Sharpe Ratio is 2.65, which is higher than the GOAU Sharpe Ratio of 1.88. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SGDLX and GOAU, 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

	SGDLX	GOAU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.65	1.88	+0.77
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.73	0.58	+0.14
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.64	0.50	+0.13

Correlation

The correlation between SGDLX and GOAU is 0.94, 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

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Dividend Comparison

SGDLX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.63%, less than GOAU's 0.86% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SGDLX Sprott Gold Equity Fund	0.63%	0.67%	0.00%	0.00%	0.12%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
GOAU US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF	0.86%	0.94%	2.11%	0.99%	1.55%	1.28%	0.74%	0.16%	0.47%	0.27%

Drawdowns

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SGDLX drawdown since its inception was -47.59%, smaller than the maximum GOAU drawdown of -55.41%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SGDLX and GOAU.

Drawdown Indicators

	SGDLX	GOAU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-47.59%	-55.41%	+7.82%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-28.77%	-31.15%	+2.38%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-43.47%	-48.52%	+5.05%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-20.55%	-17.43%	-3.12%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-18.26%	-18.77%	+0.51%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	8.13%	9.06%	-0.93%

Volatility

SGDLX vs. GOAU - Volatility Comparison

Sprott Gold Equity Fund (SGDLX) and US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU) have volatilities of 16.67% and 17.04%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SGDLX	GOAU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	16.67%	17.04%	-0.37%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	33.91%	39.44%	-5.53%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	40.51%	46.73%	-6.22%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	31.15%	35.96%	-4.81%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	33.68%	35.37%	-1.69%