|
Period |
GLD Return | SPY Return | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 52.0% | 14.7% | GLD strongly outperformed due to the 2025 gold rally |
| 5 years | 14.9% | 16.3% | SPY’s equity strength led slightly higher compounded gains |
| 10 years | 11.5% | 13.8% | SPY delivered higher long-term returns over the decade |
Summary
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Over the past 1 year, gold prices surged sharply amid inflation and geopolitical uncertainty, leading GLD to outperform SPY by more than 35 percentage points.?
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Over a 5-year period, SPY slightly edged GLD, reflecting prolonged equity market resilience.?
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Over 10 years, SPY outperformed GLD on a compound annual basis (13.8% vs 11.5%), consistent with historical equity outperformance.?
Overall, while GLD dominated short-term performance in 2025 due to gold’s strong rally, SPY remains the stronger long-term performer when measured over multi-year horizons.
