ETF Analysis
IAU ETF: Gold Exposure, Holdings, Fees and Performance
IAU answer
IAU, the iShares Gold Trust, holds physical gold bullion; its latest holdings show Physical Gold (100.0% of holdings). Its expense ratio is 0.25%, paid by selling small amounts of gold, and it manages $61.32B. Over the past year IAU's price return was -6.1%.
- Main holding
- Physical Gold (100.0% of holdings)
- Expense ratio
- 0.25%
- Fund size
- $61.32B
- Annual volatility
- 28.98%
- 1Y price return
- -6.1%
iShares Gold Trust (IAU) currently has an AIQ Score of 57/100, indicating a neutral setup. Quality is the strongest factor at 72/100. Momentum is the weakest current factor at 38/100. Performance, momentum, risk, distribution, and exposure evidence should be read together at the latest market-close snapshot.
IAU at a Glance
Crawlable current metrics from the latest market-close ETF snapshot.
| Metric | Current |
|---|---|
| Price | $77.71 |
| AIQ Score | 57/100 |
| Overall View | Neutral |
| Technical Analysis Consensus | Strong Sell |
| Fund Size | $61.32B |
| Expense Ratio | 0.25% |
| Holdings Count | 1 |
| NAV | $77.53 |
| Asset Class | Commodities |
| Primary Exposure | Cash & Others (100.00%) |
| Issuer | IShares |
| Domicile | US |
| Inception Date | Jan 21, 2005 |
| Distribution Yield | — |
| Beta | 0.41 |
| Average Volume | 5.49M |
| 52-week range | $73.74-$104.40 |
| RSI 14 | 45.69 |
| 50-Day SMA | $81.16 |
| 200-Day SMA | $84.97 |
| Risk Score | 57/100 |
| Momentum Score | 38/100 |
| Value Exposure Score | — |
IAU Long-Horizon ETF Performance
Trailing returns, growth of $10,000, drawdown history, and calendar-year returns from available daily closes.
| Period | Total return | Annualized | Max drawdown | Start date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | -6.13% | -6.14% | -26.36% | Oct 20, 2025 |
| 3Y | 106.67% | 27.37% | -26.36% | Oct 20, 2023 |
| 5Y | 125.18% | 17.68% | -26.36% | Oct 25, 2021 |
| 10Y | 125.18% | 17.68% | -26.36% | Oct 25, 2021 |
Growth of $10,000
Indexed to the first available close in this history window.
Drawdown History
Peak-to-trough decline from each prior high over the available window.
Calendar-Year Returns
Full-year returns where available, with the current calendar year shown as YTD.
IAUiShares Gold Trust
Financial Services / Asset Management
Low Priority
Above Peers
Latest quote
- Momentum38
- Value—
- Quality72
- Risk resilience57
- Sentiment—
IAU ETF Analysis Summary
iShares Gold Trust (IAU) currently has an AIQ Score of 57/100, indicating a neutral setup. Quality is the strongest factor at 72/100. Momentum is the weakest current factor at 38/100. Performance, exposure, distribution, momentum, and risk evidence should be read together at the latest market-close snapshot.
In a neutral regime, IAU has AIQ Score of 57/100 with Quality base of 72/100 and fading Momentum at 38/100. Wait for component alignment before adding exposure.
Quality (72/100) leads while Momentum (38/100) lags. This cross-factor spread creates entry timing uncertainty.
Financial Services · 0.35% ETF move · IAU classified in Asset Management.
Current Evidence
AlgovestIQ Evidence Summary
Current consensus, supporting evidence, recent changes, and what would strengthen or weaken the view.
Is IAU Bullish or Bearish Right Now?
IAU currently has a neutral overall setup. Quality is the strongest factor at 72/100, while Momentum is weakest at 38/100. The current evidence suggests a mixed rather than strongly bullish or bearish setup.
- - Quality is supportive at 72/100.
- - Momentum is weak at 38/100.
- - Price is -8.54% below its 200-day SMA.
- - Technical consensus has more sell votes than buy votes (31 vs 5).
Current Consensus
IAU's Technical Analysis Consensus is currently Strong Sell, with 5 buy, 9 neutral, and 31 sell votes. IAU's 14-day RSI is 45.69, which places the ETF in a neutral momentum range. IAU's beta is 0.41, indicating lower market sensitivity than the broad market.
What Changed in IAU?
The largest recent change in IAU is Momentum moving up by 8.0 points over the available 7-day comparison window. Quality remains the strongest visible factor.
What Would Change the IAU Outlook?
The current neutral outlook could improve if AIQ moves above 70, momentum recovers, risk resilience improves, and price confirms a stronger trend above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages. It would weaken if AIQ falls below 40, price loses long-term moving-average support, distribution or liquidity context deteriorates, or risk evidence worsens.
AIQ > 70, RSI above 55, price above SMA-50/SMA-200, and positive market-context evidence.
AIQ below 40, RSI below 45, loss of SMA-200, negative revisions, or rising volatility and drawdown risk.
IAU Decision Framework
Public evidence layers, setup checks, and risk context for iShares Gold Trust.
iShares Gold Trust (IAU) ETF Analysis
iShares Gold Trust has an AIQ Score of 57/100 in a Neutral regime. Quality is strongest at 72/100. Beta is 0.41, below market sensitivity. Review the supporting etf factors together before drawing a conclusion from any single score.
| Evidence Layer | Public Evidence |
|---|---|
| Regime Context | IAU is in a Neutral AIQ regime with score 57/100. |
| Signal Conflict | The primary conflict is that quality leads at 72/100 while momentum lags at 38/100. |
| Factor Evidence | Momentum 38/100 · Quality 72/100 · Risk 57/100 |
| Persistence | Current snapshot evidence is shown; historical persistence remains in AIQ Pro. |
Current Setup Checklist
Quality is the strongest factor at 72/100.
Momentum is 38/100 and RSI (14) is 45.7.
IAU is in a Neutral regime at 57/100.
Risk factor is 57/100 with beta 0.41 and annual volatility 28.98%.
Current conflict: quality leads at 72/100 while momentum lags at 38/100.
IAU Research Cluster
ETF-specific paths for performance, risk, distributions, market context, data, comparisons, and news.
IAU ETF Analytics
IAU holdings context, yield, risk, valuation exposure, momentum, and AIQ evidence.
IAU Technical Analysis
IAU technical setup based on RSI, MACD, moving averages, AIQ Momentum, volume, trend, volatility, and pivots.
IAU ETF Market Context
Track IAU market context, news pressure, trend changes, income events, and current allocation evidence.
IAU Distribution Analysis
IAU distribution yield, annualized distributions, payment history, and income context.
IAU ETF Data
IAU available fund data, market metrics, technical readings, risk measures, and AIQ evidence.
IAU Risk Analysis
IAU volatility, beta, drawdown, Sharpe ratio, VaR, and downside resilience.
IAU ETF News
IAU ETF news, market tone, recent headlines, and catalyst context.
IAU vs Commodities Peers
Current peer cohort: IAU · IAUM · LIT · PDBA · PDBC. Compare AIQ, factor scores, Sharpe ratio and 1-year volatility in one indexable view.
| Peer | AIQ | Value | Momentum | Risk | Sharpe | 1Y Volatility | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAU Current ETF | 57/100 | — | 38/100 | 57/100 | -0.2 | 28.98% | Current |
| IAUM iShares Gold Trust Micro | 56/100 | — | 38/100 | 57/100 | -0.19 | 28.88% | IAU vs IAUM |
| LIT Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF | 38/100 | 30/100 | 24/100 | 61/100 | 0.33 | 30.61% | IAU vs LIT |
| PDBA Invesco Agriculture Commodity ETF | 53/100 | — | 48/100 | 66/100 | 0.17 | 11.44% | IAU vs PDBA |
| PDBC Invesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity ETF | 73/100 | — | 72/100 | 79/100 | 1.87 | 20.82% | IAU vs PDBC |
Peer cohort is resolved dynamically from the AlgovestIQ universe taxonomy and Compare relationship graph. Data as of Oct 21, 2026.
About the AIQ Score
Methodology for the current ETF evidence.
The AlgovestIQ AIQ Score combines multiple dimensions of ETF evidence, including momentum, valuation exposure, quality, risk resilience, sentiment context, and timing signals. It is a descriptive research score, not a guarantee of future performance or a personalized recommendation.
View AIQ methodologyFactor Diagnostics
A compact bridge from the AIQ score to the evidence tabs.
Valuation exposure across the fund's holdings.
Quality context inferred from fund exposure and available evidence.
Trend, momentum, volume, and timing confirmation.
Resilience, volatility, beta, drawdown, and tail risk.
News and event pressure around the setup.
Open the return calculator with ETF context while purchase price, shares, dates and fees remain user inputs.
AIQ Component Profile
Compare the five component scores on one consistent 0–100 scale.
Review earnings timing, revisions, news pressure, and prior event reactions in one place.
Open catalystsNo quarterly financial rows in this snapshot.
Checked Oct 22, 2026
Explore factor drivers, conflicts, persistence, and scenario sensitivity in the advanced workspace.
ETF Analytics Snapshot
Current ETF evidence uses fund profile, cost, size, distribution, momentum, and risk fields.
ETF pages use fund-native profile fields for cost, size, liquidity, holdings breadth, NAV, issuer, and launch date.
Market Confirmation
Technicals are summarized first, with the indicator library behind it.
Risk Alignment
Higher resilience is stronger; exposure metrics stay separate.
Continue Researching IAU
Open the detailed evidence pages and workflows behind the stock overview read.
Premium Feature
Full AIQ Analysis
AIQ Intelligence
AIQ Pro for IAU
Scenario Analysis
AIQ Scenario Builder
Portfolio Implication
Related Links
IAU ETF FAQ
What is IAU's expense ratio?
IAU's expense ratio is 0.25% a year.
IAU vs GLD: what's the difference?
Both are trusts backed by physical gold. IAU charges a lower expense ratio (0.25%) and has a lower share price; GLD trades in larger volume, which matters mostly to active traders.