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Think Gold Is Just a Quiet Option? Think Again.
It’s Never Too Late to Consider an Allocation to Gold
A global pandemic has brought dramatic change to asset markets around the globe. As equity and bond markets upended in early 2020, gold shined as a valuable source of diversification, risk-adjusted returns, and liquidity.¹
What Can Gold Do for You?
Gold’s investment characteristics, rooted in multiple sources of demand across global economic and business cycles, may help gold serve multiple roles in an investor’s portfolio — during good times and bad.
Gold Is Not Just Another Commodity
Gold is often classified as a commodity alongside other precious metals or broader commodities, like oil and real estate. But with gold’s unique fundamentals and characteristics, it may warrant its own classification in an investor’s portfolio.
Choose Gold in an ETF
Investors can access gold in many different ways — from bars and coins to mutual funds and futures contracts. But gold-backed exchange traded funds (ETFs) offer a high degree of flexibility, transparency, and accessibility to the gold market with the cost-effective liquidity benefits of an ETF wrapper.
Learn about the different ways gold can be added to a portfolio and the potential advantages of accessing gold using an ETF.
Work With a Global Leader
In November 2004, State Street Global Advisors launched SPDR GLD®, the first US gold-backed ETF. GLD’s arrival made it convenient and cost effective for investors to have gold exposure in their portfolios. We’ve built a dedicated team of SPDR gold strategists to help investors understand how gold can fit in a portfolio, and launched GLDMSM in 2018 in response to growing investor need for a low-cost, gold-backed ETF option.
Invest in SPDR Gold ETFs
GLD
SPDR Gold Shares® (GLD®) the world’s largest and most liquid gold-backed ETF offers strategic, long-term investors access to the gold market.3
GLDM
SPDR Gold MiniSharesSM (GLDMSM) offers investors a lower share price and holding costs, at an expense ratio of just 18 bps.
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1 Diversification: Bloomberg Finance L.P and State Street Global Advisors, as of September 30,2020. Gold’s monthly correlation to the S&P 500 Index and Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond Index over the last 20 years are 0.05 and 0.18, respectively. Gold’s daily correlation to the S&P 500 Index and Bloomberg Barclays Aggregated Bond Index in 2020 are 0.38 and 0.20, respectively. Returns: Bloomberg Finance L.P., and State Street Global Advisors. During 2020 volatility, based on average monthly returns from 1/1/2020-9/30/2020, gold has provided a return of 24.57%, while the S&P 500 provided a return of 5.89 for the same period. On a longer-term basis, gold has returned 3.74% over a 10-year period from 9/30/2010 to 9/30/2020, and 10.13% for the 20 years from 9/30/2000 to 9/30/2020, while the S&P 500 provided a return of 13.730% and 6.41%, respectively, for the same periods ended 9//30/2020. Notes: gold is represented by LBMA gold price PM ($/oz.). Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Liquidity: Source: World Gold Council, date range from 01/01/2020 to 9/20/2020. Gold has maintained an average daily trading volume of $189 billion, or $47 trillion annually, which is on par with the S&P 500 average daily trading volume of $212 billion.
2 Bloomberg Finance L.P., and State Street Global Advisors, as of August 31, 2020.
3 Bloomberg Finance L.P, World Gold Council and State Street Global Advisors. Note: SPDR® Gold Trust GLD has a $1.4 billion daily average volume and a 0.01% average bid-ask spread from 01/01/2011 to 09/30/2020. The second biggest gold-backed ETF has a $135 million daily average volume and a 0.08% bid-ask spread from 01/01/2011 to 09/30/2020. GLD assets under manager (AUM) is $77 billion which equates to 1,268.5 tons while the second biggest gold-backed ETF AUM is $31 billion which equates to 518.1 tons, as of 09/30/2020.
Commodities
A basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable, or “fungible,” with other commodities of the same type. Commodities are most often used as inputs in the production of other goods or services. For example, crude oil is a commodity that is used to make motor fuels, heating oil and lubricants.
Diversification
A strategy of combining a broad mix of investments and asset classes to potentially limit risk, although diversification does not guarantee protection against a loss in falling markets.
Diversification Benefits
In modern portfolio theory, diversification is an approach used to potentially reduce the overall risk of the portfolio by holding a mix of assets with low correlations to each other. The potential benefit of holding uncorrelated assets is that some investments may rise while others fall.
Liquidity
The ability to quickly buy or sell an investment in the market without impacting its price. Trading volume is a primary determinant of liquidity.
Risk-Adjusted Return
A risk-based profitability measurement framework for analyzing risk-adjusted financial performance; it is designed to provide a consistent view of profitability across different assets.
The whole or any part of this work may not be reproduced, copied or transmitted or any of its contents disclosed to third parties without SSGA’s express written consent.
Investing involves risk, and you could lose money on an investment in each of SPDR® Gold Shares Trust (“GLD®” or “GLD”) and SPDR® Gold MiniSharesSM Trust (“GLDMSM” or “GLDM”), a series of the World Gold Trust (together, the “Funds”).
ETFs trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs’ net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns.
Commodities and commodity-index linked securities may be affected by changes in overall market movements, changes in interest rates, and other factors such as weather, disease, embargoes, or political and regulatory developments, as well as trading activity of speculators and arbitrageurs in the underlying commodities.
Frequent trading of ETFs could significantly increase commissions and other costs such that they may offset any savings from low fees or costs.
Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss.
Investing in commodities entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors.
Important Information Relating to GLD and GLDM:
GLD and the World Gold Trust have each filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for GLD and GLDM, respectively. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in the registration statement and other documents each Fund has filed with the SEC for more complete information about each Fund and these offerings. Please see each Fund’s prospectus for a detailed discussion of the risks of investing in each Fund’s shares. The GLD prospectus is available by clicking here, and the GLDM prospectus is available by clicking here. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at sec.gov or by visiting spdrgoldshares.com. Alternatively, the Funds or any authorized participant will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling 866.320.4053.
None of the Funds is an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”). As a result, shareholders of each Fund do not have the protections associated with ownership of shares in an investment company registered under the 1940 Act. GLD and GLDM are not subject to regulation under the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936 (the “CEA”). As a result, shareholders of each of GLD and GLDM do not have the protections afforded by the CEA.
Shares of each Fund trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk and will fluctuate in market value.
The values of GLD shares and GLDM shares relate directly to the value of the gold held by each Fund (less its expenses), respectively. Fluctuations in the price of gold could materially and adversely affect an investment in the shares. The price received upon the sale of the shares, which trade at market price, may be more or less than the value of the gold represented by them.
None of the Funds generate any income, and as each Fund regularly sells gold to pay for its ongoing expenses, the amount of gold represented by each Fund share will decline over time to that extent.
The World Gold Council name and logo are a registered trademark and used with the permission of the World Gold Council pursuant to a license agreement. The World Gold Council is not responsible for the content of, and is not liable for the use of or reliance on, this material. World Gold Council is an affiliate of the Sponsor of each of GLD and GLDM.
GLD® is a registered trademark of World Gold Trust Services, LLC used with the permission of World Gold Trust Services, LLC. MiniSharesSM and GLDMSM are service marks of WGC USA Asset Management Company, LLC used with the permission of WGC USA Asset Management Company, LLC.
For more information, please contact the Marketing Agent for GLD and GLDM: State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, One Iron Street, Boston, MA, 02210; T: +1 866 320 4053 spdrgoldshares.com