The iShares Gold Trust Micro ETF, the GraniteShares Gold Trust and the Abdn Physical Gold Shares ETF are the highest-performing gold ETFs. All three funds performed better than the overall U.S. stock market and a key gold index over the past year. The only possession of these ETFs are gold bars, making them attractive investments for those looking to invest in gold through Gold backed IRA companies. No, with a gold ETF, you don't own physical gold, but rather you buy a publicly traded debt security denominated in gold.
That makes it the best gold ETF for those who want to invest in mining companies as a way to play in the gold market. We believe that ETFs offer a good service and a service that is much better for gold buyers than futures (which are not backed by gold ingots and therefore expose their holders to unknown risks of default during a crisis). This gold ETF offers the same direct exposure to the price of gold, since it also has gold ingots, but at a lower cost. Gold ETFs are exchange-traded funds that expose investors to gold without having to directly buy, store and resell the precious metal.
Digital gold currency was an initial attempt, but now, by far, the two most successful approaches are gold ETFs and BullionVault. As with other types of ETFs, the issuing company buys shares in gold-related companies or buys and stores gold ingots on its own. Most (but not all) gold ETFs are linked to the spot price of gold, so returns should align with gold price movements. It is important to understand that a trading price below one tenth of a nominal ounce does not represent a discount in the value of the assets, but almost always reflects the reduction in the gold backing of an ETF unit.
The advantage of owning a gold mining company ETF instead of a gold price ETF is that it can generate higher returns. Some gold ETFs directly track the price of gold, while others invest in companies in the gold mining industry. The SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust is a lower cost product launched by the same investment managers as the SPDR Gold Shares ETF.