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Organization
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization

1.    Organization

 

The Aberdeen Standard Gold ETF Trust (the “Trust”) is a common law trust formed on September 1, 2009 (the “Date of Inception”) under New York law pursuant to a depositary trust agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) executed by Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) and The Bank of New York Mellon as Trustee (the “Trustee”). The Trust holds gold bullion and issues Aberdeen Standard Physical Gold Shares ETF (“Shares”) in minimum blocks of Shares (also referred to as “Baskets”) in exchange for deposits of gold and distributes gold in connection with the redemption of Baskets. Prior to November 4, 2019, the number of Shares that constituted a Basket was 50,000 Shares. Effective November 4, 2019, the Basket size was increased to 100,000 Shares. Shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust which are issued by the Trust. The Sponsor is a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aberdeen Standard Investments Inc. (“ASII”).  ASII is a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Standard Life Aberdeen plc. The Trust is governed by the Trust Agreement.

 

The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold, less the Trust’s expenses and liabilities. The Trust is designed to provide an individual owner of beneficial interests in the Shares (a “Shareholder”) an opportunity to participate in the gold market through an investment in securities. The fiscal year end for the Trust is December 31.

 

The accompanying financial statements were prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form 10-Q. In the opinion of the Trust’s management, all adjustments (which consist of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial position and results of operations as of and for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and for all periods presented have been made.

 

These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full year.