• Dr.M.Theivanayaki
• Archana Sureshkumar

The research examines the performance of selected Gold ETFs in India, analysing their returns, cost-effectiveness, and volatility. Using secondary data from January 2015 to January 2025, this research examines ten leading Gold ETFs in India, including Invesco India Gold ETF, HDFC Gold ETF, Kotak Gold ETF, Axis Gold ETF, Nippon India ETF Gold BeES, SBI Gold ETF, ICICI Prudential Gold ETF, Quantum Gold Fund, UTI Gold ETF, and Aditya Birla Sun Life Gold ETF. The research employs various financial and statistical techniques such as Simple Percentage Analysis to compare Gold ETF returns with gold returns, Trend Analysis, Growth Analysis, Risk Analysis, Ratio Analysis and Friedman Test Ranking to assess the performance of Gold ETFs against the market price of gold. Results indicate that while Gold ETFs closely track gold prices, they offer additional benefits such as high liquidity, ease of trading, and tax efficiency. Furthermore, trend analysis reveals consistent long-term growth patterns in Gold ETFs, while growth analysis highlights their ability to generate compounded returns over time. Risk analysis confirms that Gold ETFs exhibit lower volatility than equities but slightly higher than physical gold due to tracking errors. Ratio analysis suggests that lower expense ratios contribute to higher returns in some ETFs, making them more cost-effective than physical gold. The literature review confirms that investors increasingly favour Gold ETFs for their transparency and accessibility, though cultural preferences still sustain demand for physical gold. The findings underscore the importance of financial literacy in enhancing investor confidence in ETFs. Policymakers and financial institutions should focus on raising awareness about ETFs to encourage a shift towards more efficient gold investment avenues.

Gold ETFs, Physical Gold, Investor Preference, Financial Markets, Tracking Errors, Returns

"Gold ETFs in India: An Empirical Study on Returns, Trends, Risk and Investment Efficiency", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 3, page no.d209-d219, March-2025, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2503324.pdf

"Gold ETFs in India: An Empirical Study on Returns, Trends, Risk and Investment Efficiency", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.12, Issue 3, page no. ppd209-d219, March-2025, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2503324.pdf