| Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Significant Accounting Policies The preparation of financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires those responsible for preparing financial statements to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Trust. 2.1. Basis of Accounting For accounting purposes only, the Trust is an investment company and, therefore, applies the specialized accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. 2.2. Fair Value Measurement FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, provides a single definition of fair value, a hierarchy for measuring fair value and expanded disclosures about fair value adjustments. The Trust does not hold any derivative instruments, and its assets only consist of allocated gold bullion and, from time to time, (i) gold receivable, representing gold covered by contractually binding orders for the creation of Shares where the gold has not yet been transferred to the Trust’s account and (ii) cash, which is used to pay expenses. U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price the Trust would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Trust’s policy is to value its investments at fair value. Various inputs are used in determining the fair value of assets and liabilities. Inputs may be based on independent market data (“observable inputs”) or they may be internally developed (“unobservable inputs”). These inputs are categorized into a disclosure hierarchy consisting of three broad levels for financial reporting purposes. The level of a value determined for an asset or liability within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows: Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; Level 2 – Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not considered to be active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means; and Level 3 – Inputs that are unobservable for the asset or liability, including the Trust’s assumptions used in determining the fair value of investments. The following table summarizes the Trust’s investments at fair value: (Amounts in 000’s of US$) March 31, 2023 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Investment in Gold $ 59,159,870 $ — $ — Total $ 59,159,870 $ — $ — (Amounts in 000’s of US$) September 30, 2022 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Investment in Gold $ 50,693,257 $ — $ — Total $ 50,693,257 $ — $ — There were no transfers between Level 1 and other Levels for the six months ended March 31, 2023, or for the year ended September 30, 2022. The Trustee values the gold held by the Trust on the basis of the price of an ounce of gold as determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (“IBA”), a benchmark administrator, which provides an independently administered auction process as well as the overall administration and governance for the London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”). In determining the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Trust, the Trustee values the gold held by the Trust on the basis of the price of an ounce of gold determined by the IBA 3:00 PM auction process (“LBMA Gold Price PM”), which is an electronic auction, with the imbalance calculated, and the price adjusted in rounds (30 seconds in duration). The auction runs twice daily at 10:30 AM and 3:00 PM London time. The Trustee determines the NAV of the Trust on each day the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading, at the earlier of the LBMA Gold Price PM for the day or 12:00 PM New York time. If no LBMA Gold Price is made on a particular evaluation day or if the LBMA Gold Price has not been announced by 12:00 PM New York time on a particular evaluation day, the next most recent LBMA Gold Price (AM or PM) is used in the determination of the NAV of the Trust, unless the Trustee, in consultation with the Sponsor, determines that such a price is inappropriate to use as the basis for such determination. 2.3. Custody of Gold Gold is held by the Custodians on behalf of the Trust, 100% of which is allocated gold in the form of good delivery gold bars. A current list of all gold held by each Custodian, including any held with a subcustodian is available on the sponsor’s website at www.spdrgoldshares.com. 2.4. Gold Receivable Gold receivable represents the quantity of gold covered by contractually binding orders for the creation of Shares where the gold has not yet been transferred to the Trust’s account. Generally, ownership of the gold is transferred within two (Amounts in 000’s of US$) Mar-31, 2023 Sep-30, 2022 Gold receivable $ — $ — 2.5. Gold Payable Gold payable represents the quantity of gold covered by contractually binding orders for the redemption of Shares where the gold has not yet been transferred out of the Trust’s account. Generally, ownership of the gold is transferred within two (Amounts in 000’s of US$) Mar-31, 2023 Sep-30, 2022 Gold payable $ 92,004 $ 185,723 2.6. Creations and Redemptions of Shares The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares). The Trust issues Shares in Baskets to certain authorized participants (“Authorized Participants”) on an ongoing basis. The creation and redemption of Baskets is only made in exchange for the delivery to the Trust or the distribution by the Trust of the amount of gold and any cash represented by the Baskets being created or redeemed, the amount of which will be based on the combined net asset value of the number of Shares included in the Baskets being created or redeemed determined on the day the order to create or redeem Baskets is properly received. As the Shares of the Trust are redeemable in Baskets at the option of the Authorized Participants, the Trust has classified the Shares as Net Assets for financial reporting purposes. Activity in the number and value of Shares created and redeemed for the six months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows: Six Months Six Months Ended Ended (Amounts are in 000’s) Mar-31, 2023 Mar-31, 2022 Activity in Number of Shares Created and Redeemed: Creations 35,900 65,200 Redemptions (39,300 ) (29,600 ) Net Change in Number of Shares Created and Redeemed (3,400 ) 35,600 Six Months Six Months Ended Ended (Amounts in 000’s of US$) Mar-31, 2023 Mar-31, 2022 Activity in Value of Shares Created and Redeemed: Creations $ 6,154,820 $ 11,474,427 Redemptions $ (6,450,243 ) $ (5,070,901 ) Net change in Value of Shares Created and Redeemed $ (295,423 ) $ 6,403,526 2.7. Income and Expense (Amounts in 000 s of US$) The Trustee will, at the direction of the Sponsor or in its own discretion, sell the Trust’s gold as necessary to pay the Trust’s expenses. When selling gold to pay expenses, the Trustee will endeavor to sell the smallest amount of gold needed to pay expenses in order to minimize the Trust’s holdings of assets other than gold. Unless otherwise directed by the Sponsor, the Trustee will sell gold to the Custodians at the next LBMA Gold Price PM following the sale order. A gain or loss is recognized based on the difference between the selling price and the average cost of the gold sold, and such amounts are reported as net realized gain/(loss) from investment in gold sold to pay expenses on the Statements of Operations. The Trust’s net realized and change in unrealized gain/(loss) on investment in gold for the six months ended March 31, 2023 of $ 8,960,051 is made up of a realized gain of $ 9,227 from the sale of gold to pay expenses, a realized gain of $487,880 from gold distributed for the redemption of Shares, and a change in unrealized gain of $8,462,944 on investment in gold. The Trust’s net realized and change in unrealized gain/(loss) on investment in gold for the six months ended March 31, 2022 of $6,388,032 is made up of a realized gain of $16,195 from the sale of gold to pay expenses, a realized gain of $743,073 from gold distributed for the redemption of Shares, and a change in unrealized gain of $5,628,764 on investment in gold. 2.8. Income Taxes The Trust is classified as a “grantor trust” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Trust itself will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, the Trust’s income and expenses will “flow through” to the Shareholders, and the Trustee will report the Trust’s proceeds, income, deductions, gains, and losses to the Internal Revenue Service on that basis. The Sponsor of the Trust has evaluated whether or not there are uncertain tax positions that require financial statement recognition and has determined that no reserves for uncertain tax positions are required as of March 31, 2023 or September 30, 2022. The Sponsor evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of its tax treatment, and its tax reporting to its shareholders, of these positions to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions not deemed to meet that threshold would be recorded as an expense in the current year. The Trust is required to analyze all open tax years. Open tax years are those years that are open for examination by the relevant income taxing authority. As of March 31, 2023, the 2021, 2020 and 2019 tax years remain open for examination. There were no examinations in progress at period end. |
