# GLDM ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What GLDM holds, its 0.1% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

SPDR Gold MiniShares (GLDM) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by SPDR (State Street). Each share of this fund stands for a small amount of real gold kept in vaults. It charges 0.1% a year. From June 2018 to October 2026 it returned about 15.3% a year, and its worst drop was −26.3%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.1% a year (about $10 on $10,000).
- Started trading on June 25, 2018.
- Worst drop since 2018: −26.3%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## What does GLDM hold?

Each share of this fund stands for a small amount of real gold kept in vaults. Its price follows the price of gold, minus a low yearly fee. It does not pay interest or dividends.

It tracks the LBMA Gold Price PM.

| Fact | GLDM |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | SPDR Gold MiniShares |
| Issuer | SPDR (State Street) |
| Expense ratio | 0.1% a year |
| Started trading | June 25, 2018 |
| Tracks | LBMA Gold Price PM |
| Type | Gold, ETF |
| Facts checked | October 17, 2026 on the [SPDR (State Street) fund page](https://www.spdrgoldshares.com/usa/gldm/) |

## What is the GLDM expense ratio?

GLDM charges 0.1% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.1% fee comes to about $10 a year.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## How has GLDM done since 2018?

From June 2018 to October 2026, GLDM returned about 15.3% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $32,753 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | GLDM |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 227.5% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 15.3% |
| Worst drop from a high | −26.3% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 17.3% |
| Last 12 months | −3.3% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 29.4% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 18.6% |

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

## GLDM returns by year

| Year | GLDM return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | −3.4% |
| 2025 | 64.2% |
| 2024 | 27.1% |
| 2023 | 13.0% |
| 2022 | −0.5% |
| 2021 | −4.0% |
| 2020 | 25.1% |
| 2019 | 18.1% |
| 2018 (part of the year) | 1.8% |

## What was GLDM's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. GLDM's worst fall was −26.3%, from January 29, 2026 to July 16, 2026. By October 16, 2026 it had not yet climbed back to that high.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold GLDM?

No classic strategy holds GLDM yet. You can add it to your own rules in the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and see how they would have done.

## How does GLDM compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for GLDM:

- [SGOL](https://tactfolio.com/etf/sgol.md): abrdn Physical Gold Shares ETF, 0.17% a year
- [BAR](https://tactfolio.com/etf/bar.md): GraniteShares Gold Trust, 0.1749% a year
- [AAAU](https://tactfolio.com/etf/aaau.md): Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF, 0.18% a year
- [GLD](https://tactfolio.com/etf/gld.md): SPDR Gold Shares, 0.4% a year

See [all 8 GLDM alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/gldm.md), compared on the same dates as GLDM.

## Test GLDM in your own rules

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add GLDM, and see how a rule such as "hold it only above its 200-day average" would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

## The details

Prices come from Tactfolio's stored daily prices for GLDM. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.

Fund facts come from SPDR (State Street). We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [Commodities](https://tactfolio.com/learn/commodities-explained): Commodities are raw goods like oil, gold and wheat.
- [Risk parity](https://tactfolio.com/learn/risk-parity): Risk parity balances risk instead of dollars. See a simple stock and bond example, why funds use leverage, and what went wrong in 2022.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of GLDM?

GLDM charges 0.1% a year, according to SPDR (State Street) as of October 17, 2026. That is about $10 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did GLDM start trading?

GLDM started trading on June 25, 2018. It is run by SPDR (State Street).

### What does GLDM track?

GLDM tracks the LBMA Gold Price PM. Each share of this fund stands for a small amount of real gold kept in vaults.

### How much has GLDM returned per year?

From June 2018 to October 2026, GLDM returned about 15.3% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −26.3%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Which strategies use GLDM?

None of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold GLDM yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

## Sources

- [SPDR (State Street): SPDR Gold MiniShares fund page](https://www.spdrgoldshares.com/usa/gldm/)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.