SGOL vs. GLDI

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL) and Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (GLDI).

SGOL and GLDI are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. SGOL is a passively managed fund by abrdn that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price PM ($/ozt). It was launched on Sep 9, 2009. GLDI is a passively managed fund by Credit Suisse that tracks the performance of the Credit Suisse NASDAQ Gold FLOWS 103 Index. It was launched on Jan 29, 2013. Both SGOL and GLDI 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

SGOL vs. GLDI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL) and Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (GLDI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

SGOL vs. GLDI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SGOL abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF	8.62%	63.99%	26.90%	12.99%	-0.51%	-3.94%	25.03%	18.21%	-1.94%	12.86%
GLDI Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN	1.47%	34.25%	17.76%	8.93%	-1.11%	-3.42%	23.50%	14.40%	-0.54%	8.94%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SGOL achieves a 8.62% return, which is significantly higher than GLDI's 1.47% return. Over the past 10 years, SGOL has outperformed GLDI with an annualized return of 14.11%, while GLDI has yielded a comparatively lower 9.15% annualized return.

SGOL

• 1D: 3.77%
• 1M: -10.99%
• YTD: 8.62%
• 6M: 21.22%
• 1Y: 49.63%
• 3Y*: 33.23%
• 5Y*: 21.84%
• 10Y*: 14.11%

GLDI

• 1D: 3.40%
• 1M: -7.27%
• YTD: 1.47%
• 6M: 9.54%
• 1Y: 25.68%
• 3Y*: 19.06%
• 5Y*: 12.36%
• 10Y*: 9.15%

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

SGOL vs. GLDI - Expense Ratio Comparison

SGOL has a 0.17% expense ratio, which is lower than GLDI's 0.65% expense ratio.

GLDI

Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN

SGOL

abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF

Return for Risk

SGOL vs. GLDI — Risk / Return Rank

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

SGOL

SGOL Risk / Return Rank: 87
SGOL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
SGOL Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
SGOL Omega Ratio Rank: 86
SGOL Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
SGOL Martin Ratio Rank: 87

GLDI

GLDI Risk / Return Rank: 87
GLDI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
GLDI Sortino Ratio Rank: 88
GLDI Omega Ratio Rank: 92
GLDI Calmar Ratio Rank: 75
GLDI Martin Ratio Rank: 89

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.

SGOL vs. GLDI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL) and Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (GLDI). 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.

	SGOL	GLDI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.81	1.86	-0.05
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.25	2.39	-0.14
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.33	1.39	-0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.71	1.87	+0.83
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	10.02	10.83	-0.81
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SGOL vs. GLDI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SGOL Sharpe Ratio is 1.81, which is comparable to the GLDI Sharpe Ratio of 1.86. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SGOL and GLDI, 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

	SGOL	GLDI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.81	1.86	-0.05
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.25	1.13	+0.11
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.89	0.82	+0.08
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.58	0.37	+0.21

Correlation

The correlation between SGOL and GLDI is 0.84, 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

SGOL vs. GLDI - Dividend Comparison

SGOL has not paid dividends to shareholders, while GLDI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 20.58%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SGOL abrdn Physical Gold Shares 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%
GLDI Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN	20.58%	16.15%	10.45%	10.02%	13.73%	10.65%	14.25%	7.25%	5.33%	7.77%	17.26%	10.07%

Drawdowns

SGOL vs. GLDI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SGOL drawdown since its inception was -45.51%, which is greater than GLDI's maximum drawdown of -32.26%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SGOL and GLDI.

Drawdown Indicators

	SGOL	GLDI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-45.51%	-32.26%	-13.25%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-19.14%	-13.73%	-5.41%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-20.92%	-14.07%	-6.85%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-21.56%	-14.94%	-6.62%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-13.21%	-7.90%	-5.31%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-18.46%	-14.11%	-4.35%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.17%	2.37%	+2.80%

Volatility

SGOL vs. GLDI - Volatility Comparison

abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF (SGOL) has a higher volatility of 10.97% compared to Credit Suisse X-Links Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (GLDI) at 9.68%. This indicates that SGOL's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than GLDI based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SGOL	GLDI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.97%	9.68%	+1.29%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	24.00%	11.89%	+12.11%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	27.51%	13.84%	+13.67%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.63%	10.97%	+6.66%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	15.84%	11.23%	+4.61%