ETF Evaluator:
Simplify Gold Strategy ETF (YGLD)
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 06)
Best Performing in Commodities Focused Over the Last Year
| 2251.5% | Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF (BWET) |
| 81.8% | United States Gasoline (UGA) |
| 64.2% | Commodities Focused () |
| 63.3% | Invesco DB Energy (DBE) |
| 61.8% | United States Oil (USO) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
Simplify Gold Strategy ETF Overview
Simplify Gold Strategy ETF (YGLD) is an actively managed Commodities Commodities Focused exchange-traded fund (ETF). Simplify Asset Management launched the ETF in 2024.
The investment seeks income and capital appreciation.
Under normal market conditions, at the start of each quarter, the adviser selects gold futures so that the total value of economic gold exposure is up to approximately 150% of the net assets of the fund. To generate income, the fund employs an exchange traded and over-the-counter (“OTC”) option spread writing strategy on equity, fixed income, and currency ETFs. The fund is non-diversified.
About Simplify Gold Strategy ETF (YGLD)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.66 years: David Berns (2024) and Emilio Freire (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
Simplify Gold Strategy ETF has 15 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 99.7% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Simplify Gold Strategy ETF is part of the Real Assets global asset class and is within the Commodities ETF group. Simplify Gold Strategy ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.3% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 12.0% (12.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Simplify Gold Strategy ETF has 37.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $34 million in total assets, which is below the $4 billion average for the Commodities Focused category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
YGLD Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Simplify Gold Strategy ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Commodities Focused category. Simplify Gold Strategy ETF has an expense ratio of 0.53%, which is 31% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Simplify Gold Strategy ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 0%, which indicates that it holds its assets around /years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 15% for the Commodities Focused category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Simplify Gold Strategy ETF returned -0.1%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Commodities Focused category had an average return of 5.1%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Simplify Gold Strategy ETF has a trailing yield of 20.61%, which is above the 7.11% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Simplify Gold Strategy ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -20.2%, 51.6 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 14.0% over the past year (grade of D).
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YGLD Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| YGLD Return (NAV) | -0.1% | -18.0% | 14.0% | na | na | na |
| YGLD Return (Price) | -0.0% | -17.9% | 13.6% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.023% | -0.029% | 0.442% | na | na | na |
| Commodities Focused Avg | 5.1% | -6.8% | 64.2% | 14.3% | 9.6% | 6.0% |
| YGLD Grade (NAV) | D | F | D | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -5.2% | -11.1% | -50.1% | na | na | na |
| YGLD Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 7.3% | na | na | na |
YGLD Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| YGLD Return (NAV) | -20.2% | 101.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| YGLD Return (Price) | -19.9% | 100.4% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.012% | -0.012% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Commodities Focused Avg | 31.4% | 35.6% | 6.2% | -1.1% | 9.2% | 27.8% | 1.5% | 14.9% | -9.5% | 3.1% | 10.0% |
| YGLD Grade (NAV) | F | A | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -51.6% | 66.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 20.6% |
| Total Assets: | $ 34 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 34 Mil |
| Turnover: | 0.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.53% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | N/A |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Berns David (2024), Freire Emilio (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 15 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 99.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.3% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 12.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 50.5% |
| Cash: | 37.3% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Simplify Asset Management |
| Phone Number: | 855-772-8488 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | December 2, 2024 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.53% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.76% |
