U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners… (GOAU) Performance
GOAU total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- −8.4% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +3.7% total return
- 5 years
- +17.6% a year
- Since first price
- +14.4% a year since 2017
GOAU trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | GOAU total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −15.4% | −15.4% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +5.8% | +5.8% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | −12.8% | −12.8% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | −8.4% | −8.4% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +3.7% | +2.8% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +161.3%+37.7%/yr | +151.2% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +124.7%+17.6%/yr | +110.0% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionJun 28, 2017 | +250.3%+14.4%/yr | +222.5% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: GOAU vs SPY
From Jun 28, 2017: GOAU grew to $35,027, SPY to $36,001.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
GOAU returns by calendar year
5 of 8 full years positive. Best 2025 (+126.7%), worst 2018 (−11.9%). 2026 is year to date.
GOAU annual returns table
| Year | GOAU | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | −8.4% | −37.9% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +126.7% | −20.8% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +13.8% | −19.3% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +10.7% | −31.7% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −11.7% | −48.5% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | −9.2% | −28.3% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +14.1% | −39.5% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +54.2% | −15.9% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | −11.9% | −24.7% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
GOAU largest drawdowns
Now 30.7% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2020 | −55.4% | Sep 26, 2022 | Mar 25, 2025 | 2.1 years | 4.6 years |
| Sep 4, 2019 | −39.5% | Mar 20, 2020 | Apr 24, 2020 | 7 months | 8 months |
| Feb 27, 2026 | −37.9% | Jul 20, 2026 | not yet | 5 months | 8 months so far |
| Sep 7, 2017 | −27.5% | Nov 13, 2018 | Jun 21, 2019 | 1.2 years | 1.8 years |
| Oct 16, 2025 | −20.8% | Nov 4, 2025 | Dec 22, 2025 | 19 days | 2 months |
| Jan 28, 2026 | −19.0% | Feb 5, 2026 | Feb 27, 2026 | 8 days | 30 days |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
GOAU risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +44.6% | +23.3% | +15.9% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 40.5% | 38.7% | 37.1% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.00 | 0.64 | 0.51 |
| Sortino ratio | 2.01 | 1.17 | 0.94 |
| Best month | +34.2% | +34.2% | +44.1% |
| Worst month | −21.1% | −21.1% | −21.1% |
| Best 12 months | +166.2% | +166.2% | +166.2% |
| Worst 12 months | +8.1% | −27.9% | −29.7% |
| Positive months | 67% | 58% | 54% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.27 | 0.70 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.08 | 0.28 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
GOAU rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 101 | −29.7% | +14.1% | +166.2% | 69% |
| 3-year (a year) | 77 | −11.7% | +14.1% | +56.4% | 77% |
| 5-year (a year) | 53 | −0.3% | +8.2% | +27.6% | 98% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2017. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
GOAU performance overview
U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners… (GOAU) returned +3.7% over the past year and +17.6% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2017 it has returned +14.4% a year, turning $10,000 into about $35,027. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −55.4%, from Aug 5, 2020 to Sep 26, 2022, and it took 2.5 years to get back to the old high. GOAU finished 5 of its 8 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2025 (+126.7%) and the worst 2018 (−11.9%). Volatility has been 37.1% a year.
Related: GOAU chart, GOAU holdings, GOAU dividends. See the GOAU overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
GOAU performance FAQ
What is the GOAU return over the past year?
GOAU returned +3.7% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 2.8%.
What is the average annual return of GOAU?
GOAU has returned +17.6% a year over 5 years, +14.4% a year since June 28, 2017 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in GOAU be worth?
$10,000 invested in GOAU at its first recorded close on June 28, 2017 would be worth about $35,027 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for GOAU?
The worst calendar year was 2018, with a total return of −11.9%. The best was 2025 at +126.7%.
What is the biggest drawdown of GOAU?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −55.4% between August 5, 2020 and September 26, 2022. It recovered to the old high on March 25, 2025, 2.5 years after the bottom.
How volatile is GOAU?
Over the past 3 years GOAU had an annualized volatility of 40.5% and a Sharpe ratio of 1.00 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).