SPY vs GLD ETF Comparison
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF vs SPDR Gold Shares
SPY leads
SPY leads by 2 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience and Quality, having only recently taken the lead back from GLD.
Fragile: 2 of 3 evidence groups support SPY, the lead recently changed hands, and its current signal state is conflicted.
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF
SPDR Gold Shares
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors SPY over GLD, 64 versus 62 as of Sep 2, 2026. SPY's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience and quality. SPY also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor SPY today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. SPY lead: Reversed — GLD led by 1 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; SPY now leads by 2.
Compare State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF and SPDR Gold Shares across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience15%88 vs 49SPY +39
- Quality30%84 vs 72SPY +12
- Momentum25%55 vs 58Even
2 of 3 evidence groups favor SPY. SPY’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience and quality.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-01, compared against the prior scored session 2026-08-31.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
SPY's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — SPY and GLD both carry a full feed there.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
SPYSPY on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.
Growth
EvenGrowth figures are not covered for both names.
Value
EvenThe two are level on Value.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
SPYSPY on Risk Resilience, by 39 points.
Analyst upside
EvenAnalyst targets are level or not covered for both names.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | SPY | GLD | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.4% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Assets under management | $811.9B | $152.9B | Larger funds generally carry tighter spreads. |
| Holdings | 504 | 0 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 73,651,172 | 6,115,028 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 12.8% | 29.1% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown | -9.1% | -26.4% | The worst peak-to-trough loss on record for the fund. |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.07 | 0.91 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 1.00 | 0.70 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
Weighted holdings overlap is not available for this pair. Sector exposure above is a related but different measure — it says how much of each fund sits in the same parts of the market, not how much of the same securities they hold.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor SPY. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 64 vs 62 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | Not covered | Not covered |
| Technicals | SPY | Price vs 50-day 1.4% vs 3.7%; vs 200-day 8% vs -1.6% |
| Risk Resilience | SPY | Risk Resilience 88 vs 49 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of SPY and GLD and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on SPY.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Apr 20 – Sep 1SPY lead: Reversed — GLD led by 1 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; SPY now leads by 2.
- Today
- SPY +2
- 64 vs 62
- 7 sessions ago
- GLD +8
- 64 vs 72
- 30 sessions ago
- GLD +1
- 71 vs 72
- 90 sessions ago
- SPY +9
- 57 vs 48
The lead changed hands 6 times in this window, most recently on Aug 28 when SPY moved ahead of GLD.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
4 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (6.21%)
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (1.5%)
0 bullish / 2 bearish
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (7.36%)
- MACD Bearish Crossover — bearish, momentum, short horizon
SPY leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.45%, AIQ 0 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +1.05%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1GLD closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 39 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPY's edge.
- 2GLD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3SPY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 4 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Technicals
SPY has the stronger structure| Metric | SPY | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 45.9 | 55 |
| ADX (14) | 15 | 27.5 |
| Price vs 50-day | 1.4% | 3.7% |
| Price vs 200-day | 8% | -1.6% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 9.4% | 28% |
Risk
SPY is the more resilient| Metric | SPY | GLD |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1 | 0.7 |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.07 | 0.91 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.52 | 1.08 |
| Max drawdown | -9.1% | -26.4% |
| Current drawdown | -1.4% | -17.6% |
| Annualized volatility | 12.8% | 29.1% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.4% | -3.1% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, SPY or GLD?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, SPY is the stronger of the two as of Sep 2, 2026, scoring 64 against GLD's 62. The edge comes from risk resilience and quality. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is SPY or GLD the better buy right now?
SPY carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 2, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 2 of 3 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor SPY over GLD?
The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. SPY leads Risk Resilience by 39 points; SPY leads Quality by 12 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which is better value, SPY or GLD?
Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, SPY or GLD?
Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, SPY or GLD?
The two are level on Momentum. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, SPY or GLD?
SPY is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. SPY on Risk Resilience, by 39 points. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is SPY more profitable than GLD?
Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.
Is SPY's lead over GLD getting stronger or weaker?
SPY lead: Reversed — GLD led by 1 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; SPY now leads by 2. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-04-20 and 2026-09-01. The lead has changed hands 6 times in that window, most recently on 2026-08-28, when SPY moved ahead of GLD.
What would change the SPY vs GLD verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: GLD closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 39 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPY's edge; GLD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; SPY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 4 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about SPY and GLD?
SPY: 4 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. GLD: 0 bullish / 2 bearish. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on SPY is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon). On GLD it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).
Compare SPY and GLD with others
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.