iShares Gold Trust Micro
iShares Gold Trust Micro is a U.S.-formed grantor trust that issues shares representing fractional interests in gold bullion held by a custodian. Its structure is designed to give investors exposure to the price of gold through exchange-traded shares on NYSE Arca, with creation and redemption handled in large baskets by authorized participants.
Fiscal year 2025 · change from previous year
Development 2021–2025
Business
Share of revenueShares that provide fractional beneficial interests in gold bullion held by the Trust.
Customers
The Trust is used by investors who want liquid, exchange-traded exposure to gold without holding bullion directly. Its shares are bought and sold in the secondary market by institutions and retail investors, while creations and redemptions are handled by authorized participants that transact in baskets of shares. The product is also relevant for traders seeking a gold-linked instrument for portfolio allocation, hedging, or tactical positioning.
Buy shares on NYSE Arca for convenient gold exposure through standard brokerage accounts.
Use the Trust for portfolio diversification, inflation hedging, or tactical gold exposure.
Create and redeem baskets of shares in exchange for gold to support market liquidity.
Trade shares around NAV and use arbitrage opportunities tied to gold pricing.
Strategy
The Trust’s core strategy is to maintain a passive structure that tracks the price of gold as closely as possible through bullion holdings and daily NAV calculation. It relies on the LBMA Gold Price AM/PM benchmark and the creation/redemption process to keep share price and underlying gold value aligned. The structure is designed to provide efficient, exchange-traded access to gold while limiting operational activity to custody, valuation, and share issuance/redemption.
The Trust exists to mirror bullion performance, so benchmark selection and NAV calculation are central.
Basket transactions help keep market price near NAV and support liquidity in the shares.
Investor confidence depends on secure bullion storage and reliable pricing references.
Geography
The Trust is organized in New York, with the sponsor based in the United States and shares listed on NYSE Arca. The underlying gold is held by a custodian through a London branch arrangement, and the benchmark used to value the bullion is the LBMA Gold Price, which ties the product to global gold markets rather than a single operating geography. Because the Trust is a passive vehicle, geography matters mainly through custody, trading venue, and benchmark pricing rather than physical operations.
Risks
The Trust is exposed to gold price volatility because its value is intended to move with bullion prices and it does not hedge or actively manage positions. It also depends on benchmark integrity, custody operations, and market liquidity; disruptions in any of these areas can affect NAV, trading spreads, or the ability to create and redeem shares efficiently. Cybersecurity, service-provider, and conflict-of-interest risks are relevant because the Trust relies on external administrators, custodians, and affiliated sponsor oversight.
- Gold price volatilityImpact: HighLikelihood: Medium
The Trust is passive and does not hedge against declines in bullion prices.
Exposure: Share value and NAV
- Benchmark disruption or loss of confidence in LBMA Gold PriceImpact: HighLikelihood: Low
NAV depends on the benchmark used to value the bullion each day.
Exposure: Valuation and investor returns
- Cybersecurity and service-provider disruptionImpact: MediumLikelihood: Medium
The Trust relies on external systems for custody, NAV calculation, and trading support.
Exposure: Operations and records
- Premium/discount to NAVImpact: MediumLikelihood: Low
Secondary-market trading can diverge from underlying gold value due to liquidity and timing effects.
Exposure: Trading price
- Sponsor conflict of interestImpact: MediumLikelihood: Low
The sponsor and affiliates manage other gold and precious-metals products.
Exposure: Governance and allocation of attention
Accounting
Judgemental itemsReported assets and NAV depend on benchmark-based valuation each day.
Impact: Directly affects NAV and per-share value
Trust NAV is reduced by sponsor fees and other accrued obligations.
Impact: Affects net asset value and expense recognition
Basket activity changes outstanding shares and the balance sheet composition.
Impact: Affects share count, NAV per share, and gold holdings
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Last updated: 24/09/2026