Unearthed: Gold ETFs 101 — Myths, Mechanics, and Market Access, ft Amanda Krichman

In this episode of Unearthed, co-hosts Joe Cavatoni and John Reade, Senior Market Strategists for the World Gold Council, are joined by Amanda Krichman, Chief Operating Officer of Funds at the World Gold Council. Together, they unpack the fundamentals of gold-backed ETFs, taking a closer look at how these products work and address some of the most common myths in the market.

The conversation covers everything from how gold ETFs are created and redeemed to the role of authorised participants (APs) in maintaining price stability and liquidity. Together, they also reflect on 20 years since the launch of GLD, the first U.S.-listed gold ETF, and explore how ETFs have revolutionised access to gold for both retail and institutional investors.

Notable Quotes: 

“An ETF, or as it's known, an exchange-traded fund, pools assets from many different investors and gives them an easy option to buy into a diversified product. They'll buy shares of this product, which will allow them to get access to many different underlying investments.” — Amanda Krichman 

 “I've seen it with my own eyes. For the two products that we work on with GLD and GLDM, the gold is there. The shares of the fund won't be released until the physical gold bars are delivered and allocated within the accounts for each of the ETFs.” — Amanda Krichman 

“You might be wondering, how do these authorised participants make money? It’s based on the arbitrage of how that's trading in the secondary market and to help keep the price as close as possible, less expensive to the underlying value of the gold per share.”  — Amanda Krichman 

Disclaimer: 

For additional information on SPDR® Gold Shares (GLD®) and SPDR® Gold MiniShares (GLDM®), please visit www.spdrgoldshares.com.

 

The information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute a recommendation, investment advice, or offer for the purchase or sale of gold, any gold-related products or services or any other products, services, securities or financial instruments. Investing involves risk, including any investment in GLD or GLDM.  Before making any investment, you should read GLD’s prospectus which is available here and GLDM’s prospectus which is available here and consult your tax and financial advisor.

Additional Resources

www.gold.org 

Amanda Krichman LinkedIn

About World Gold Council

We are a membership organisation that champions the role gold plays as a strategic asset, shaping the future of a responsible and accessible gold supply chain. Our team of experts builds understanding of the use case and possibilities of gold through trusted research, analysis, commentary, and insights. We drive industry progress, shaping policy and setting the standards for a perpetual and sustainable gold market.

You can follow the World Gold Council on X at @goldcouncil and LinkedIn.

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Correction notice:

Please note a small error in this recording. At 3mins 47sec Amanda notes that the custodian releases the shares once the gold is delivered to the custodian. However, technically it’s the admin that releases the shares once the gold is delivered to the custodian.