VLGIX vs. GLDM

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares (VLGIX) and SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM).

VLGIX is managed by Vanguard. It was launched on Jul 30, 2010. GLDM is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold PM Price. It was launched on Jun 25, 2018.

Performance

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares (VLGIX) and SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
VLGIX Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares	-0.26%	5.46%	-6.11%	3.67%	-29.45%	-5.06%	17.72%	14.31%	2.10%
GLDM SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust	8.57%	64.20%	27.08%	13.04%	-0.47%	-4.01%	25.10%	18.10%	1.84%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, VLGIX achieves a -0.26% return, which is significantly lower than GLDM's 8.57% return.

VLGIX

• 1D: 1.24%
• 1M: -3.94%
• YTD: -0.26%
• 6M: -0.44%
• 1Y: 0.42%
• 3Y*: -1.41%
• 5Y*: -4.55%
• 10Y*: -0.82%

GLDM

• 1D: 3.77%
• 1M: -10.99%
• YTD: 8.57%
• 6M: 21.24%
• 1Y: 49.77%
• 3Y*: 33.33%
• 5Y*: 21.91%
• 10Y*: —

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

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Expense Ratio Comparison

VLGIX has a 0.05% expense ratio, which is lower than GLDM's 0.10% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

GLDM

SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust

VLGIX

Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares

Return for Risk

VLGIX vs. GLDM — Risk / Return Rank

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

VLGIX

VLGIX Risk / Return Rank: 9
VLGIX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 8
VLGIX Sortino Ratio Rank: 7
VLGIX Omega Ratio Rank: 6
VLGIX Calmar Ratio Rank: 12
VLGIX Martin Ratio Rank: 10

GLDM

GLDM Risk / Return Rank: 88
GLDM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 89
GLDM Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
GLDM Omega Ratio Rank: 86
GLDM Calmar Ratio Rank: 89
GLDM Martin Ratio Rank: 88

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.

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares (VLGIX) and SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM). 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.

	VLGIX	GLDM	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.12	1.82	-1.70
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.23	2.25	-2.02
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.03	1.33	-0.31
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.31	2.71	-2.40
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.67	10.04	-9.37
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current VLGIX Sharpe Ratio is 0.12, which is lower than the GLDM Sharpe Ratio of 1.82. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of VLGIX and GLDM, 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

	VLGIX	GLDM	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.12	1.82	-1.70
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.31	1.25	-1.56
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.06	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.19	1.09	-0.90

Correlation

The correlation between VLGIX and GLDM is 0.28, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Dividend Comparison

VLGIX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.10%, while GLDM has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
VLGIX Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares	4.10%	4.43%	4.67%	3.31%	2.83%	1.78%	2.15%	2.46%	2.73%	2.57%	2.70%	2.82%
GLDM SPDR Gold MiniShares 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

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum VLGIX drawdown since its inception was -46.23%, which is greater than GLDM's maximum drawdown of -21.63%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for VLGIX and GLDM.

Drawdown Indicators

	VLGIX	GLDM	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-46.23%	-21.63%	-24.60%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-8.50%	-19.14%	+10.64%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-41.00%	-20.92%	-20.08%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-46.23%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-36.43%	-13.19%	-23.24%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-14.80%	-6.04%	-8.76%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.85%	5.16%	-1.31%

Volatility

VLGIX vs. GLDM - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Vanguard Long-Term Treasury Index Fund Institutional Shares (VLGIX) is 3.58%, while SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM) has a volatility of 11.01%. This indicates that VLGIX experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than GLDM based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	VLGIX	GLDM	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.58%	11.01%	-7.43%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	6.07%	24.07%	-18.00%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	10.41%	27.57%	-17.16%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.59%	17.65%	-3.06%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	13.74%	16.77%	-3.03%