The value of the net assets of the Trust as at June 30, 2021 was $4,736.5 million or $14.15 per unit, compared to $4,892.9 million or $15.22 per unit as at December 31, 2020. The Trust held 2,674,284 ounces of physical gold bullion as at June 30, 2021 compared to 2,575,220 ounces of physical gold bullion at December 31, 2020. As at June 30, 2021, the spot price of gold bullion was $1,770.11 an ounce compared to a spot price of gold bullion of $1,898.36 an ounce as at December 31, 2020. The Trust returned (7.0)% compared to the return on spot gold of (6.8)% for the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. Comparatively, for the same period in 2020, the Trust returned 16.5% compared to the return on spot gold of 17.4%.
The units closed at $14.03 on the NYSE Arca and $14.04 on the TSX on June 30, 2021 compared to closing prices of $15.09 on the NYSE Arca and $15.07 on the TSX on December 31, 2020. The units are denominated in U.S. dollars on both exchanges. During the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021, the Trust’s units traded on the NYSE Arca at an average discount to net asset value of approximately 1.1%, compared to approximately 0.4% for the same period in 2020.
The Trust pays its own expenses, which include, but are not limited to, audit, legal, and trustee fees, unitholder reporting expenses, general and administrative fees, filing and listing fees payable to applicable securities regulatory authorities and stock exchanges, storage fees for the physical gold bullion, and any expenses associated with the Independent Review Committee of the Trust. Operating expenses1 for the period from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 amounted to $0.1 million compared to $0.4 million for the same period in 2020. Operating expenses for the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 amounted to $1.1 million compared to $0.8 million for the same period in 2020. Operating expenses for the period from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 amounted to 0.04% of the average net assets during the period on an annualized basis, compared to 0.05% for the same period in 2020. Operating expenses for the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021 amounted to 0.04% of the average net assets during the period on an annualized basis, compared to 0.05% for the same period in 2020.
During the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021, the Trust sold 15,410,224 units through the at-the-market offering program (the “ATM Program”), compared to 85,818,401 for the same period in 2020.
There were no changes to the Manager of the Trust, nor were there any material changes to the investment philosophy or process.
Related Party Transactions
There were no transactions between the Trust and its related parties during the reporting period, except as outlined below:
Management Fees
The Trust pays the Manager, a monthly management fee equal to 1⁄12 of 0.35% of the value of the net assets of the Trust (determined in accordance with the Trust’s trust agreement), plus any applicable Canadian taxes. The management fee is calculated and accrued daily and payable monthly in arrears on the last day of each month. For the period from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021, the Trust incurred management fees of $4.2 million (not including applicable Canadian taxes) compared to $3.2 million for the same period in 2020. For the period from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021, the Trust incurred management fees of $8.2 million (not including applicable Canadian taxes) compared to $5.5 million for the same period in 2020.