ETF Versus

GLDM vs SPSM

SPDR Gold MiniShares vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

GLDM SPDR

SPDR Gold MiniShares (GLDM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to gold securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.10%. Launched in 2018, the fund has a 8-year track record.

AUM: $31.3B ER: 0.10% Yield: N/A Since: Jun 25, 2018
SPSM SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF (SPSM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.52%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $14.6B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.52% Since: Jul 8, 2013

Quick Verdict

SPSM has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.10%), saving about $139 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, GLDM has significantly outperformed with a 50.3% return vs 37.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric GLDM SPSM
Expense Ratio 0.10% 0.03%
Dividend Yield N/A 1.5%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category Gold US Small Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 122 169 216 263 310 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
GLDM +173.7%
SPSM +18.5%

Performance Comparison

Period GLDM SPSM Difference
1 Month -8.03% +4.27% -12.30%
3 Months +3.80% +2.71% +1.09%
6 Months +15.97% +11.44% +4.53%
YTD +10.05% +7.01% +3.04%
1 Year +50.25% +37.58% +12.67%
3 Years +137.19% +34.97% +102.22%
5 Years +173.65% +18.48% +155.17%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLDM Fees SPSM Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $199 $60 $139
$10,000 20 years $856 $258 $597
$10,000 30 years $2,758 $835 $1,923
$50,000 10 years $995 $299 $696
$50,000 30 years $13,790 $4,176 $9,614
$100,000 30 years $27,580 $8,352 $19,228

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLDM SPSM
Annualized Volatility 17.7% 21.5%
Max Drawdown -20.9% -28.7%
Sharpe Ratio 0.98 0.06

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLDM SPSM
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $0.77
Dividend Yield 0.00% 1.52%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

SPSM Top Holdings

NameWeight
Viavi Solutions Inc.VIAV0.60%
FormFactor, Inc.FORM0.57%
Eastman Chemical CompanyEMN0.53%
Primoris Services CorporationPRIM0.53%
Element Solutions IncESI0.53%
Argan, Inc.AGX0.51%
Semtech CorporationSMTC0.51%
ESCO Technologies Inc.ESE0.50%
Match Group, Inc.MTCH0.49%
Viasat, Inc.VSAT0.48%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPSM if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose GLDM if...

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

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