USFR.L vs. GLDW.L

Last updated Jun 5, 2026

USFR.L (WisdomTree USD Floating Rate Treasury Bond UCITS ETF USD) and GLDW.L (WisdomTree Core Physical Gold) are both exchange-traded funds - USFR.L is a Government Bonds fund tracking the Bloomberg US Treasury Floating Rate Bond Index, while GLDW.L is a Precious Metals fund tracking the Gold. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, USFR.L returned 3.59%/yr vs 18.61%/yr for GLDW.L. At a 0.05 correlation, their price movements are largely independent. USFR.L charges 0.15%/yr vs 0.12%/yr for GLDW.L.

Performance

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in WisdomTree USD Floating Rate Treasury Bond UCITS ETF USD (USFR.L) and WisdomTree Core Physical Gold (GLDW.L). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Different Trading Currencies

USFR.L is traded in USD, while GLDW.L is traded in GBp. To make them comparable, the GLDW.L values have been converted to USD using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, USFR.L achieves a 1.59% return, which is significantly lower than GLDW.L's 3.71% return.

USFR.L

• 1D: 0.01%
• 1M: 0.33%
• YTD: 1.59%
• 6M: 1.90%
• 1Y: 3.96%
• 3Y*: 4.69%
• 5Y*: 3.59%
• 10Y*: —

GLDW.L

• 1D: 0.68%
• 1M: -2.18%
• YTD: 3.71%
• 6M: 6.15%
• 1Y: 32.41%
• 3Y*: 31.46%
• 5Y*: 18.61%
• 10Y*: —

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

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
USFR.L WisdomTree USD Floating Rate Treasury Bond UCITS ETF USD	1.59%	4.13%	5.41%	4.94%	2.05%	-0.09%
GLDW.L WisdomTree Core Physical Gold	3.71%	65.15%	26.05%	12.92%	-0.13%	6.27%

Correlation

The correlation between USFR.L and GLDW.L is 0.04, meaning there is essentially no relationship between their price movements. Each responds to its own set of market drivers, making them strong candidates for combining in a diversified portfolio.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.04
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.04
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.05
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Mar 16, 2021	0.05

Return for Risk

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L — Risk / Return Rank

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

USFR.L

USFR.L Risk / Return Rank: 97
USFR.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 94
USFR.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 97
USFR.L Omega Ratio Rank: 97
USFR.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 98
USFR.L Martin Ratio Rank: 98

GLDW.L

GLDW.L Risk / Return Rank: 40
GLDW.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 42
GLDW.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 37
GLDW.L Omega Ratio Rank: 47
GLDW.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 39
GLDW.L Martin Ratio Rank: 34

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.

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for WisdomTree USD Floating Rate Treasury Bond UCITS ETF USD (USFR.L) and WisdomTree Core Physical Gold (GLDW.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.

	USFR.L	GLDW.L	Difference
Sharpe ratio: Return per unit of total volatility	3.60	1.34	+2.26
Sortino ratio: Return per unit of downside risk	6.01	1.79	+4.22
Omega ratio: Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.93	1.25	+0.67
Calmar ratio: Return relative to maximum drawdown	14.72	1.82	+12.90
Martin ratio: Return relative to average drawdown	58.09	4.75	+53.34
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current USFR.L Sharpe Ratio is 3.60, which is higher than the GLDW.L Sharpe Ratio of 1.34. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of USFR.L and GLDW.L, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	USFR.L	GLDW.L	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.60	1.34	+2.26
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	2.39	1.07	+1.32
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.51	1.16	+0.35

Drawdowns

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum USFR.L drawdown since its inception was -2.99%, smaller than the maximum GLDW.L drawdown of -21.42%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for USFR.L and GLDW.L.

Drawdown Indicators

	USFR.L	GLDW.L	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-2.99%	-21.42%	+18.43%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.27%	-17.74%	+17.47%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-0.89%	-17.74%	+16.85%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-0.89%	-21.42%	+20.53%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	0.00%	-15.82%	+15.82%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.09%	-5.39%	+5.30%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.07%	6.81%	-6.74%

Volatility

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for WisdomTree USD Floating Rate Treasury Bond UCITS ETF USD (USFR.L) is 0.28%, while WisdomTree Core Physical Gold (GLDW.L) has a volatility of 5.73%. This indicates that USFR.L experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than GLDW.L based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	USFR.L	GLDW.L	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.28%	5.73%	-5.45%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.86%	20.82%	-19.96%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.10%	24.07%	-22.97%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	1.50%	17.35%	-15.85%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	1.84%	17.18%	-15.34%

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Expense Ratio Comparison

USFR.L has a 0.15% expense ratio, which is higher than GLDW.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

USFR.L vs. GLDW.L - Dividend Comparison

USFR.L's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.99%, while GLDW.L has not paid dividends to shareholders.

Position	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
GLDW.L WisdomTree Core Physical Gold	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
USFR.L WisdomTree USD Floating Rate Treasury Bond UCITS ETF USD	3.99%	4.32%	5.24%	4.58%	0.78%	0.00%	0.57%	1.09%

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both USFR.L and GLDW.L in my portfolio?

USFR.L and GLDW.L have a correlation of 0.04, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which ETF is better, USFR.L or GLDW.L?

On fees, GLDW.L is cheaper at 0.12% per year. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

Which ETF is cheaper, USFR.L or GLDW.L?

GLDW.L is cheaper with a 0.12% expense ratio, compared with 0.15% for USFR.L.

What is the main difference between USFR.L and GLDW.L?

USFR.L is categorized as Government Bonds, while GLDW.L is Precious Metals. USFR.L tracks Bloomberg US Treasury Floating Rate Bond Index, while GLDW.L tracks Gold. Their fees differ too: 0.15% for USFR.L and 0.12% for GLDW.L.