The iShares Silver Trust (SLV) outperforms the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) in 1-year returns, but GLD has lower volatility and a larger asset base. Both ETFs offer direct exposure to precious metals without dividend income. GLD has a slightly lower expense ratio at 0.40% compared to SLV’s 0.50%. SLV has an 83.4% 1-year return, while GLD has a 57.9% return as of Dec. 5, 2025.

SLV and GLD differ in underlying metal, cost, and risk. SLV provides direct exposure to silver, while GLD holds physical gold bullion. Both funds do not contain stocks or bonds and lack dividend distributions. SLV has a higher beta of 1.39, indicating greater price volatility compared to GLD’s 0.46 beta.

GLD and SLV offer investors a way to directly invest in precious metals without owning physical assets. While they may underperform stocks long-term, they can diversify portfolios and hedge against inflation. SLV has higher price volatility, a more severe max drawdown, and a higher expense ratio compared to GLD. However, SLV has significantly outperformed GLD in the past year.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: Looking to Invest in Gold or Silver? GLD and SLV Make It Simple to Buy Through ETFs