ETF Versus

GLD vs JNK

SPDR Gold Shares vs State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

GLD State Street

SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to gold securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.40%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $151.9B ER: 0.40% Yield: 0.00% Since: Nov 18, 2004
JNK State Street

State Street SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to below-investment-grade U.S. corporate bonds offering higher yields. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.40%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 6.68%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $7.0B ER: 0.40% Yield: 6.68% Since: Nov 28, 2007

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, GLD has significantly outperformed with a 52.3% return vs 0.5%. Income investors may prefer JNK for its higher yield (6.7% vs 0.0%).

Key Metrics

Metric GLD JNK
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.40%
Dividend Yield 0.0% 6.7%
Fund Family State Street State Street
Category Gold US High Yield Bond

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 123 166 209 252 295 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
GLD +170.4%
JNK -12.2%

Performance Comparison

Period GLD JNK Difference
1 Month -10.65% -1.25% -9.40%
3 Months +9.93% -1.82% +11.75%
6 Months +22.42% -2.05% +24.47%
YTD +9.93% -1.82% +11.75%
1 Year +52.25% +0.47% +51.78%
3 Years +137.25% +3.45% +133.80%
5 Years +170.39% -12.20% +182.59%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLD Fees JNK Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $786 $786 $0
$10.000 20 years $3.334 $3.334 $0
$10.000 30 years $10.601 $10.601 $0
$50.000 10 years $3.932 $3.932 $0
$50.000 30 years $53.003 $53.003 $0
$100.000 30 years $106.005 $106.005 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLD JNK
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 7.7%
Max Drawdown -21.0% -20.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.96 -0.89

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLD JNK
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $6.38
Dividend Yield 0.00% 6.68%
Distribution Frequency None Monthly

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose GLD if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose JNK if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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