iShares Gold Trust
1,979 hedge funds and large institutions have $34.8B invested in iShares Gold Trust in 2026 Q1 according to their latest regulatory filings, with 183 funds opening new positions, 553 increasing their positions, 888 reducing their positions, and 109 closing their positions.
208% more call options, than puts
Call options by funds: $529M | Put options by funds: $172M
68% more first-time investments, than exits
New positions opened: 183 | Existing positions closed: 109
2% more funds holding
Funds holding: 1,935 → 1,979 (+44)
2% less capital invested
Capital invested by funds: $35.6B → $34.8B (-$797M)
1% less funds holding in top 10
Funds holding in top 10: 185 → 183 (-2)
5.58% less ownership
Funds ownership: 52.12% → 46.54% (-5.6%)
38% less repeat investments, than reductions
Existing positions increased: 553 | Existing positions reduced: 888
Top Buyers
| Rank | Fund | Capital Flow |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
UBS Group
Zurich,
Switzerland
|
+$582M |
| 2 |
ERSOT
Employees Retirement System of Texas
Austin,
Texas
|
+$280M |
| 3 |
BlackRock
New York
|
+$132M |
| 4 |
SG
SCHF (GPE)
Wilson,
Wyoming
|
+$123M |
| 5 |
UBS AM
Chicago,
Illinois
|
+$120M |
Top Sellers
| Rank | Fund | Capital Flow |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Envestnet Asset Management
Chicago,
Illinois
|
-$946M |
| 2 |
Fidelity Investments
Boston,
Massachusetts
|
-$707M |
| 3 |
LPL Financial
San Diego,
California
|
-$327M |
| 4 |
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group
Minato-Ku, Tokyo,
Japan
|
-$275M |
| 5 |
JP Morgan Chase
New York
|
-$273M |
IAU Hedge Fund Activity: Q1 2026 in Review
1,979 of the 8,208 institutional investors tracked by Wall St. Rank reported a position in iShares Gold Trust (IAU) for Q1 2026, worth a combined $34.8B — down 2.2% from $35.6B a quarter earlier.
Buyers outnumbered sellers: 183 funds opened new IAU positions and 109 closed out — a net gain of 74 holders — while 553 added to existing stakes and 888 trimmed.
The largest buyer was UBS Group, adding an estimated $582M. The largest seller was Envestnet Asset Management, cutting an estimated $946M.
- 1,979 institutional investors held iShares Gold Trust (IAU) as of Q1 2026, up from 1,935 in Q4 2025.
- Funds reported $34.8B of iShares Gold Trust stock for Q1 2026, down 2.2% quarter-over-quarter.
- 183 funds opened new iShares Gold Trust positions in Q1 2026 and 109 closed out, a net change of +74 holders.
- The largest iShares Gold Trust buyer in Q1 2026 was UBS Group, an estimated $582M added.
- The largest iShares Gold Trust seller in Q1 2026 was Envestnet Asset Management, an estimated $946M sold.
Based on aggregated 13F filings for Q1 2026.