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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis

2021-06-07 compared with 2020-12-08 · 191 added, 247 removed, 31 unchanged (93% of the section changed)

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited financial statements and notes to the unaudited financial statements

included in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Form 10-Q.

The discussion and analysis that follows may contain forward-looking statements

with respect to the VanEck Merk Gold Trust’s financial conditions, operations, future performance and business.

These statements

can be identified by the use of the words “may , ” “should , ” “expect , ”

“plan , ” “anticipate , ” “believe , ” “estimate , ” “predict , ”

“potential” or similar words and phrases.

These statements are based upon certain assumptions and analyses Merk Investments

LLC, the Sponsor, has made based on its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments.

Neither the Trust nor the Sponsor is under a duty to update any of the forward looking statements, to conform such statements

to actual results or to reflect a change in management’s expectations or predictions.

VanEck Merk Gold Trust (the “Trust”), formerly known as the Merk Gold Trust prior to October 26, 2015 and then as

the Van Eck Merk Gold Trust prior to April 28, 2016, is an investment trust formed on May 6, 2014 under New York law pursuant

to a depositary trust agreement (as amended, the “Trust Agreement”).

The Trust is not managed like a corporation or

an active investment vehicle.

It does not have any officers, directors, or employees and is administered by The Bank of New York

Mellon (the “Trustee”) pursuant to the Trust Agreement.

The Trust is not registered as an investment company under

the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and is not required to register under such act.

It will not hold or trade in commodity

futures contracts, nor is it a commodity pool, or subject to regulation as a commodity pool operator or a commodity trading adviser

in connection with issuing shares.

Trust’s primary objective is to provide investors with an opportunity to invest in gold through the shares and be able to

take delivery of physical gold bullion and gold coins (“physical gold”) in exchange for those shares.

secondary objective is for the shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold less the expenses of the Trust’s operations.

Each share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the Trust’s net assets.

The Trust’s assets consist

principally of gold held on the Trust’s behalf in financial institutions for safekeeping.

Physical gold that the Trust will

hold includes London Bars and, for the limited purposes described herein, other gold bars and coins, without numismatic value,

having a minimum fineness (or purity) of 995 parts per 1,000 (99.5%) or, for American Gold Eagle gold coins, with a minimum fineness

are issued by the Trust only in blocks of 50,000 shares called “Baskets” in exchange for gold from certain registered

broker-dealers or other securities market participants (“Authorized Participants”).

See “Creation and Redemption

of Shares— Authorized Participants ” in the notes to our financial statements for requirements to qualify as

an Authorized Participant.

Baskets may be redeemed by the Trust in exchange for the amount of gold corresponding to their redemption

The Trust issues and redeems Baskets on an ongoing basis at net asset value to Authorized Participants who have entered

into a contract with the Sponsor and the Trustee.

information should be read in conjunction with the unaudited financial statements and notes to the unaudited financial statements included

in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Form 10-Q.

The discussion and analysis that follows may contain forward-looking statements with respect to

the VanEck Merk Gold Trust’s financial conditions, operations, future performance and business.

These statements can be identified

by the use of the words “may , ” “should , ” “expect , ” “plan , ”

“anticipate , ” “believe , ” “estimate , ” “predict , ” “potential”

or similar words and phrases.

These statements are based upon certain assumptions and analyses Merk Investments LLC, the Sponsor, has

made based on its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments.

Neither the Trust nor the Sponsor

is under a duty to update any of the forward looking statements, to conform such statements to actual results or to reflect a change

in management’s expectations or predictions.

VanEck Merk Gold Trust (the “Trust”), formerly known as the Merk Gold Trust prior to October 26, 2015 and then as the Van

Eck Merk Gold Trust prior to April 28, 2016, is an investment trust formed on May 6, 2014 under New York law pursuant to a depositary

trust agreement (as amended, the “Trust Agreement”).

The Trust is not managed like a corporation or an active investment

It does not have any officers, directors, or employees and is administered by The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Trustee”)

pursuant to the Trust Agreement.

The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended,

and is not required to register under such act.

It will not hold or trade in commodity futures contracts, nor is it a commodity pool,

or subject to regulation as a commodity pool operator or a commodity trading adviser in connection with issuing shares.

Trust’s primary objective is to provide investors with an opportunity to invest in gold through the shares and be able to take

delivery of physical gold bullion and gold coins (“physical gold”) in exchange for those shares.

The Trust’s secondary

objective is for the shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold less the expenses of the Trust’s operations.

represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the Trust’s net assets.

The Trust’s assets consist principally of

gold held on the Trust’s behalf in financial institutions for safekeeping.

Physical gold that the Trust will hold includes London

Bars and, for the limited purposes described herein, other gold bars and coins, without numismatic value, having a minimum fineness (or

purity) of 995 parts per 1,000 (99.5%) or, for American Gold Eagle gold coins, with a minimum fineness of 91.67%.

are issued by the Trust only in blocks of 50,000 shares called “Baskets” in exchange for gold from certain registered broker-dealers

or other securities market participants (“Authorized Participants”).

See “Creation and Redemption of Shares— Authorized

Participants ” in the notes to our financial statements for requirements to qualify as an Authorized Participant.

be redeemed by the Trust in exchange for the amount of gold corresponding to their redemption value.

The Trust issues and redeems Baskets

on an ongoing basis at net asset value to Authorized Participants who have entered into a contract with the Sponsor and the Trustee.

of the Trust trade on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) Arca under the symbol “OUNZ”.

of Gold and Computation of Net Asset Value

each business day that the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading, as promptly as practicable after 4:00 PM (New York time) the

Trustee will value the gold held by the Trust and will determine the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Trust, as described

NAV of the Trust is the aggregate value of gold and other assets, if any, of the Trust (other than any amounts credited to the

Trust’s reserve account, if any) and cash, if any, less liabilities of the Trust, which include estimated accrued but unpaid

fees, expenses and other liabilities.

each business day that the NYSE Arca is open for regular trading, as promptly as practicable after 4:00 PM (New York time) the Trustee

will value the gold held by the Trust and will determine the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Trust, as described below.

NAV of the Trust is the aggregate value of gold and other assets, if any, of the Trust (other than any amounts credited to the Trust’s

reserve account, if any) and cash, if any, less liabilities of the Trust, which include estimated accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and

other liabilities.

gold is valued based on its Fine Ounce content, calculated by multiplying the weight of gold by its purity;

the same methodology

is applied independent of the type of gold held by the Trust;

similarly, the value of up to 430 Fine Ounces of unallocated gold

the Trust may hold is calculated by multiplying the number of Fine Ounces with the price of gold determined by the Trustee as

The Trustee values the gold held by the Trust based on the afternoon session of the twice daily fix of the price of a

Fine Ounce of gold which starts at 3:00 PM London, England time and is performed in London by the ICE Benchmark Administration

as an independent third-party administrator (the “LBMA PM Gold Price”).

the same methodology is applied

independent of the type of gold held by the Trust;

similarly, the value of up to 430 Fine Ounces of unallocated gold the Trust may hold

is calculated by multiplying the number of Fine Ounces with the price of gold determined by the Trustee as follows.

The Trustee values

the gold held by the Trust based on the afternoon session of the twice daily fix of the price of a Fine Ounce of gold which starts at

3:00 PM London, England time and is performed in London by the ICE Benchmark Administration as an independent third-party administrator

(the “LBMA PM Gold Price”).

The Trustee also determines the NAV per Share.

If on a day when the Trust’s NAV is being calculated the LBMA PM Gold Price for that day is not available, the Trustee will

value the gold held by the Trust based on that day’s morning session of the twice daily fix of the price of a Fine Ounce

of gold, which starts at 10:30 AM London, England time and is performed in London by the ICE Benchmark Administration as an independent

third-party administrator (the “LBMA AM Gold Price”).

If no fix is available for the day, the Trustee will value the

Trust’s gold based on the most recently announced LBMA AM Gold Price or LBMA PM Gold Price.

Prior to March 20, 2015, the

Trustee utilized the daily fix of the price of a Fine Ounce of gold as performed by the five members of the London gold fix, which

has now been replaced by the ICE Benchmark Administration as an independent third-party administrator.

the Sponsor determines that such price is inappropriate to use, it shall identify an alternate basis for evaluation to be employed

by the Trustee.

The Sponsor may instruct the Trustee to use a different publicly available price which the Sponsor determines

to fairly represent the commercial value of the Trust’s gold.

October 22, 2015, the Sponsor and the Trustee entered into a First Amendment To Depositary Trust Agreement (the “First Trust

Amendment”), amending the Trust Agreement, dated as of May 6, 2014, to effectuate a change in the name of the Trust from

“Merk Gold Trust” to “Van Eck Merk Gold Trust,” effective as of October 26, 2015.

As a result of the name

change, all references to “Merk Gold Trust” in the Trust Agreement were amended to read “Van Eck Merk Gold Trust,”

and the shares offered by the Trust were known as the “Van Eck Merk Gold Shares” (“Shares”).

If on a day when the Trust’s NAV is being

calculated the LBMA PM Gold Price for that day is not available, the Trustee will value the gold held by the Trust based on that day’s

morning session of the twice daily fix of the price of a Fine Ounce of gold, which starts at 10:30 AM London, England time and is performed

in London by the ICE Benchmark Administration as an independent third-party administrator (the “LBMA AM Gold Price”).

no fix is available for the day, the Trustee will value the Trust’s gold based on the most recently announced LBMA AM Gold Price

or LBMA PM Gold Price.

Prior to March 20, 2015, the Trustee utilized the daily fix of the price of a Fine Ounce of gold as performed

by the five members of the London gold fix, which has now been replaced by the ICE Benchmark Administration as an independent third-party

administrator.

the Sponsor determines that such price is inappropriate to use, it shall identify an alternate basis for evaluation to be employed by

The Sponsor may instruct the Trustee to use a different publicly available price which the Sponsor determines to fairly

represent the commercial value of the Trust’s gold.

October 22, 2015, the Sponsor and the Trustee entered into a First Amendment To Depositary Trust Agreement (the “First Trust Amendment”),

amending the Trust Agreement, dated as of May 6, 2014, to effectuate a change in the name of the Trust from “Merk Gold Trust”

to “Van Eck Merk Gold Trust,” effective as of October 26, 2015.

As a result of the name change, all references to “Merk

Gold Trust” in the Trust Agreement were amended to read “Van Eck Merk Gold Trust,” and the shares offered by the Trust

were known as the “Van Eck Merk Gold Shares” (“Shares”).

October 22, 2015, the Sponsor, for the benefit of the Trust, entered into a Marketing Agent Agreement (the “Marketing Agreement”)

with Van Eck Securities Corporation (“VanEck” or “Marketing Agent”).

Pursuant to the Marketing Agreement,

VanEck now provides assistance in the marketing of the Shares.

The obligations created by the Marketing Agreement are obligations

of the Sponsor of the Trust and any fees payable under the Marketing Agreement to VanEck are payable from the Sponsor’s

fee (as calculated and defined in the Trust Agreement).

The Trust will not incur additional financial or other performance obligations

pursuant to the Marketing Agreement.

Pursuant to the Marketing Agreement, VanEck

now provides assistance in the marketing of the Shares.

The obligations created by the Marketing Agreement are obligations of the Sponsor

of the Trust and any fees payable under the Marketing Agreement to VanEck are payable from the Sponsor’s fee (as calculated and

defined in the Trust Agreement).

The Trust will not incur additional financial or other performance obligations pursuant to the Marketing

Sponsor entered into the First Trust Amendment and effectuated the name change of the Trust in satisfaction of a term of the Marketing

The Marketing Agreement further grants VanEck the right to elect to replace Merk as the sponsor of the Trust under

specific qualifying circumstances, subject to the execution and consummation of definitive agreements addressing all regulatory

requirements applicable to such transaction and satisfaction of such requirements, and announcement and related reporting at such

Specifically, VanEck has a right of first refusal for the purchase of the sponsorship of the Trust, and all rights attributable

thereto, upon the earlier of a commitment for a change of control of Merk or 15 years from the date of the Marketing Agreement.

Additionally, VanEck may elect to replace Merk as the sponsor of the Trust upon the earlier of the average daily net assets of

the Trust during a calendar quarter not attributable to Shares held by Merk or its affiliates (“Third Party Assets”)

equaling $500 million, or VanEck’s compensation under the fee provisions of the Marketing Agreement reaching in aggregate

10% of the gross proceeds from sale of the Shares (the “Maximum Fee”).

further agreed that if the Third Party Assets equal or exceed $500 million, for such period as Merk remains sponsor of the Trust,

VanEck may propose the rate of the Sponsor’s fee to Merk, which Merk shall not unreasonably reject and shall timely adopt

if reasonable, provided, VanEck acknowledges that only the formal named sponsor of the Trust shall have the right to set the Sponsor’s

fee at any time.

April 28, 2016, the Sponsor and the Trustee entered into a Second Amendment to Depositary Trust Agreement (the “Second Trust

Amendment”), amending the Trust Agreement to effectuate a second change in the name of the Trust from “Van Eck Merk

Gold Trust” to “VanEck Merk Gold Trust,” at the request of the Marketing Agent to reflect its rebranding as

As a result of the name change, all references to “Van Eck Merk Gold Trust” in the Trust Agreement

were amended to read “VanEck Merk Gold Trust,” and the Shares offered by the Trust are now known as the “VanEck

Merk Gold Shares”.

Except for the name change effected pursuant to the Second Trust Amendment, the Trust Agreement remains

in full force and effect on its existing terms.

July 24, 2020, the Sponsor exercised its rights under the Trust Agreement to adjust the Sponsor’s fee upon written notice

to the Trustee and publication of the proposed change on its website.

Prior to July 24, 2020, the Sponsor’s fee accrued

at an annualized rate of 0.40% of the Trust’s NAV.

Effective July 24, 2020, the Sponsor’s fee is payable at an annualized

rate of 0.25% of the Trust’s NAV, accrued on a daily basis computed on the prior Business Day’s NAV and paid monthly

The Marketing Agreement further grants VanEck the right to elect to replace Merk as the sponsor of the Trust under specific

qualifying circumstances, subject to the execution and consummation of definitive agreements addressing all regulatory requirements applicable

to such transaction and satisfaction of such requirements, and announcement and related reporting at such time.

Specifically, VanEck

has a right of first refusal for the purchase of the sponsorship of the Trust, and all rights attributable thereto, upon the earlier

of a commitment for a change of control of Merk or 15 years from the date of the Marketing Agreement.

Additionally, VanEck may elect

to replace Merk as the sponsor of the Trust upon the earlier of the average daily net assets of the Trust during a calendar quarter not

attributable to Shares held by Merk or its affiliates (“Third Party Assets”) equaling $500 million, or VanEck’s compensation

under the fee provisions of the Marketing Agreement reaching in aggregate 10% of the gross proceeds from sale of the Shares (the “Maximum

further agreed that if the Third Party Assets equal or exceed $500 million, for such period as Merk remains sponsor of the Trust, VanEck

may propose the rate of the Sponsor’s fee to Merk, which Merk shall not unreasonably reject and shall timely adopt if reasonable,

provided, VanEck acknowledges that only the formal named sponsor of the Trust shall have the right to set the Sponsor’s fee at

April 28, 2016, the Sponsor and the Trustee entered into a Second Amendment to Depositary Trust Agreement (the “Second Trust Amendment”),

amending the Trust Agreement to effectuate a second change in the name of the Trust from “Van Eck Merk Gold Trust” to “VanEck

Merk Gold Trust,” at the request of the Marketing Agent to reflect its rebranding as “VanEck”.

As a result of the name

change, all references to “Van Eck Merk Gold Trust” in the Trust Agreement were amended to read “VanEck Merk Gold Trust,”

and the Shares offered by the Trust are now known as the “VanEck Merk Gold Shares”.

Except for the name change effected pursuant

to the Second Trust Amendment, the Trust Agreement remains in full force and effect on its existing terms.

in Settlement Cycle and Amendment to Authorized Participant Agreements

March 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted an amendment to reduce by one business day the standard settlement

cycle for most broker-dealer securities transactions.

Prior to the implementation of the shorter settlement cycle, the standard

settlement cycle for such transactions was three business days, known as T+3.

The amended rule shortens the settlement cycle to

two business days, or T+2.

This change in the settlement cycle affects both the creation and redemption procedures for Baskets

and trading in the Shares.

March 22, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted an amendment to reduce by one business day the standard settlement cycle

for most broker-dealer securities transactions.

Prior to the implementation of the shorter settlement cycle, the standard settlement

cycle for such transactions was three business days, known as T+3.

The amended rule shortens the settlement cycle to two business days,

This change in the settlement cycle affects both the creation and redemption procedures for Baskets and trading in the Shares.

Compliance with the new settlement cycle went into effect on September 5, 2017.

to the fact that the aforementioned creation and redemption procedures are addressed in the Authorized Participant Agreements

by among the Authorized Participants, the Trustee and the Sponsor, the Trustee and the Sponsor exercised their rights to amend

each such agreement to address the new T+2 settlement cycle and executed First Amendments to each of the Authorized Participant

Agreements, effective as of September 5, 2017, and provided timely notice of such amendment to the Authorized Participants.

for the foregoing amendments, the Authorized Participant Agreements remain in full force and effect on their existing terms.

to the fact that the aforementioned creation and redemption procedures are addressed in the Authorized Participant Agreements by among

the Authorized Participants, the Trustee and the Sponsor, the Trustee and the Sponsor exercised their rights to amend each such agreement

to address the new T+2 settlement cycle and executed First Amendments to each of the Authorized Participant Agreements, effective as

of September 5, 2017, and provided timely notice of such amendment to the Authorized Participants.

Except for the foregoing amendments,

the Authorized Participant Agreements remain in full force and effect on their existing terms.

from Operations

4 unchanged sentences

In addition, while the Trust does not currently possess all of the typical characteristics

of an investment company, the Sponsor believes the Trust’s activities are consistent with those of an investment company

and will therefore apply the guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Topic 946, including disclosure of the financial support

contractually required to be provided by an investment company to any of its investees.

The Sponsor is responsible for, among

other things, overseeing the performance of the Trustee and the Trust’s principal service providers, including the preparation

of financial statements.

of an investment company, the Sponsor believes the Trust’s activities are consistent with those of an investment company and will

therefore apply the guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Topic 946, including disclosure of the financial support contractually

required to be provided by an investment company to any of its investees.

The Sponsor is responsible for, among other things, overseeing

the performance of the Trustee and the Trust’s principal service providers, including the preparation of financial statements.

The Trustee is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Trust.

Three Months Ended October 31, 2020 Compared to the Three Months Ended October 31, 2019

Trust’s NAV increased from $369,590,556 at July 31, 2020 to $416,830,640 at October 31, 2020, a 12.8% increase, compared

to an 8.6 % increase from $160,696,297 at July 31, 2019 to $174,523,023 at October 31, 2019.

The increase in the Trust’s

NAV in the quarter ended October 31, 2020 resulted from an increase in the value of investments in gold bullion as compared to

the prior period.

The number of outstanding Shares increased from 19,280,650 Shares at July 31, 2020 to 22,719,117 Shares at October

31, 2020 due to the creation of Shares by Authorized Participants and the creation of 13,601 Shares in the quarter for Sponsor’s

fees, as compared to 11,769 Shares for such purpose in the quarter ended October 31, 2019.

The number of outstanding Shares at

October 31, 2019 was 11,805,476.

Effective July 24, 2020, the Sponsor’s fees are payable at an annualized rate of 0.25%

of the Trust’s NAV, accrued on a daily basis computed on the prior Business Day’s NAV and paid monthly in arrears.

Prior to July 24, 2020, the Sponsor’s fees accrued at an annualized rate of 0.40% of the Trust’s NAV.

Due to the daily

accrual but monthly payment, the number of Sponsor’s fee Shares issued can vary and possibly decrease, even as the number

of Shares outstanding increases slightly.

Trust’s NAV per Share decreased 4.3% during the quarter ended October 31, 2020, starting at $19.17 per Share and ending

at $18.35 per Share, compared to an increase of 5.7%, from $13.98 to $14.78 during the quarter ended October 31, 2019.

NAV per share decreased slightly less than the price per ounce of gold on a percentage basis due to the Sponsor’s fees,

which were 13,601 Shares in total for the quarter ended October 31, 2020, compared with 11,769 Shares paid as Sponsor’s

fees in the quarter ended October 31, 2019.

The NAV per share of $20.17 on August 6, 2020 was the highest during the quarter,

compared with a low of $18.14 on September 25, 2020.

change in net assets from operations for the quarter ended October 31, 2020 was $(17,754,861), resulting from the Sponsor’s

fees of $(252,814), a net realized gain from gold bullion distributed for redemptions was $993,857, offset by a net change in

unrealized depreciation on investment in gold bullion of $(18,495,904).

In comparison, the change in net assets from operations

for the quarter ended October 31, 2019 was $9,201,714, resulting from the Sponsor’s fees of $(173,817), no net realized

loss or gain from gold bullion distributed for redemptions and a net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in gold bullion

of $9,375,531.

than the Sponsor’s fee, the Trust had no expenses during the quarter ended October 31, 2020 or the quarter ended October

Nine Months Ended October 31, 2020 Compared to the Nine Months Ended October 31, 2019

Trust’s NAV increased from $198,479,743 at January 31, 2020 to $416,830,640 at October 31, 2020, a 110.0% increase, compared

to a 13.2% increase from $154,177,917 at January 31, 2019 to $174,523,023 at October 31, 2019.

The increase in the Trust’s

NAV in the nine months ended October 31, 2020 resulted from an increase in the value of investments in gold bullion as compared

to the prior period.

The number of outstanding Shares increased from 12,817,945 Shares at January 31, 2020 to 22,719,117 Shares

at October 31, 2020 due to the creation of new Shares by Authorized Participants and the creation of 42,696 Shares for Sponsor’s

fees, as compared to 34,730 Shares for such purpose in the nine months ended October 31, 2019.

The number of outstanding Shares

at October 31, 2019 was 11,805,476.

Effective July 24, 2020, the Sponsor’s fees are payable at an annualized rate of 0.25%

of the Trust’s NAV, accrued on a daily basis computed on the prior Business Day’s NAV and paid monthly in arrears.

Prior to July 24, 2020, the Sponsor’s fees accrued at an annualized rate of 0.40% of the Trust’s NAV.

Due to the daily

accrual but monthly payment, the number of Sponsor’s fee Shares issued can vary and possibly decrease, even as the number

of Shares outstanding increases slightly.

Trust’s NAV per Share increased 18.5% during the nine months ended October 31, 2020, starting at $15.48 per Share and ending

at $18.35 per Share, compared to an increase 13.8%, from $12.99 to $14.78 during the nine months ended October 31, 2019.

NAV per share increased slightly less than the price per ounce of gold on a percentage basis due to the Sponsor’s fees,

which were 42,696 Shares in total for the nine months ended October 31, 2020, compared with 34,730 Shares paid as Sponsor’s

fees in the nine months ended October 31, 2019.

The NAV per share of $20.13 on August 6, 2020 was the highest during the nine

months ended October 31, 2020, compared with a low of $14.34 on March 19, 2020.

change in net assets from operations for the nine months ended October 31, 2020 was $43,025,419, resulting from the Sponsor’s

fees of $(746,046), a net realized gain from gold bullion distributed for redemptions of $5,626,134 and a net change in unrealized

appreciation on investment in gold bullion of $38,145,331.

In comparison, the change in net assets from operations for the nine

months ended October 31, 2019 was $20,439,182, resulting from the Sponsor’s fees of $(474,492), a net realized gain from

gold bullion distributed for redemptions of $96,601 and a net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in gold bullion

of $20,817,073.

than the Sponsor’s fee, the Trust had no expenses during the nine months ended October 31, 2020 or the nine months ended

October 31, 2019.

the calendar quarter ended September 30, 2020, the Marketing Agent earned a fee of $37,390 which was paid by the Sponsor on November

since the initiation of the Marketing Agent’s efforts on behalf of the Trust on October 22, 2015, a total of $126,813

in Fees has been paid, representing 0.41% of the Maximum Fee potentially payable to the Marketing Agent pursuant to the Marketing

Agent Agreement.

Effective July 24, 2020, the Sponsor and the Marketing Agent amended the fee structure under the Marketing Agent

Agreement, however the financial obligations created thereunder remain the obligations of the Sponsor of the Trust, any fees payable

thereunder remain payable from the Sponsor’s fee and the cap on the fees payable to the Marketing Agent remains unchanged.

Three Months Ended April 30, 2021 Compared to the Three Months Ended April 30, 2020

Trust’s NAV increased from $442,483,105 on January 31, 2021 to $447,555,111 on April 30, 2021, an 1.15% increase, compared to a

27.93% increase from $198,479,743 on January 31, 2020 to $253,914,693 on April 30, 2020.

The increase in the Trust’s NAV in the

quarter ended April 30, 2021 resulted from an increase in the value of investments in gold bullion as compared to the prior period.

number of outstanding Shares increased from 24,366,372 Shares on January 31, 2021 to 26,002,321 Shares on April 30, 2021 due to the creation

of Shares by Authorized Participants and the creation of 15,940 Shares in the quarter for Sponsor’s fees, as compared to 13,412

Shares for such purpose in the quarter ended April 30, 2020.

The number of outstanding Shares on April 30, 2020 was 15,271,116.

The Sponsor’s

fees are payable at an annualized rate of 0.25% of the Trust’s NAV, accrued on a daily basis computed on the prior business day’s

NAV and paid monthly in arrears.

Due to the daily accrual but monthly payment, the number of Sponsor’s fee Shares issued can vary

and possibly decrease, even as the number of Shares outstanding increases slightly.

Trust’s NAV per Share decreased 5.23% during the quarter ended April 30, 2021, starting at $18.16 per Share and ending at $17.21

per Share, compared to an increase of 7.43%, from $15.48 to $16.63 during the quarter ended April 30, 2020.

The Trust’s NAV per

share decreased slightly more than the price per ounce of gold on a percentage basis due to the Sponsor’s fees, which were 15,940

Shares in total for the quarter ended April 30, 2021, compared with 13,412 Shares paid as Sponsor’s fees in the quarter ended April

The NAV per share of $18.12 on February 1, 2021 was the highest during the quarter, compared with a low of $16.38 on March

change in net assets from operations for the quarter ended April 30, 2021 was $(23,829,040), resulting from the Sponsor’s fees

of $(269,000), a net realized gain of $50,040 from gold bullion distributed for redemptions, and a net change in unrealized depreciation

on investment in gold bullion of $(23,610,080).

In comparison, change in net assets from operations for the quarter ended April 30, 2020

was $16,299,895, resulting from the Sponsor’s fees of $(215,094), a net realized gain of $30,456 from gold bullion distributed

for redemptions, and a net change in unrealized appreciation on investment in gold bullion of $16,484,533.

than the Sponsor’s fee, the Trust had no expenses during the quarter ended April 30, 2021 or the quarter ended April 30, 2020.

the calendar quarter ended April 30, 2021, the Marketing Agent earned a fee of $32,654 which was paid by the Sponsor on May 20, 2021;

since the initiation of the Marketing Agent’s efforts on behalf of the Trust on October 22, 2015, a total of $214,497 in Fees has

been paid, representing 0.44% of the Maximum Fee potentially payable to the Marketing Agent pursuant to the Marketing Agent Agreement.

and Capital Resources

Trust is not aware of any trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that are reasonably likely to result in material

changes to its liquidity needs.

In exchange for the Sponsor’s fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume most of the expenses

incurred by the Trust.

As a result, the only ordinary expense of the Trust during the period covered by this report was the Sponsor’s

Trust is not aware of any trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that are reasonably likely to result in material changes

to its liquidity needs.

In exchange for the Sponsor’s fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume most of the expenses incurred by the

As a result, the only ordinary expense of the Trust during the period covered by this report was the Sponsor’s fee.

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 not otherwise assumed by the Sponsor.

The Trustee will not sell gold to pay the Sponsor’s fee but will pay the

Sponsor’s fee in Shares in lieu of cash.

At October 31, 2020 and October 31, 2019, the Trust did not have any cash balances.

The Trustee will not sell gold to pay the Sponsor’s fee but will pay the Sponsor’s

fee in Shares in lieu of cash.

At April 30, 2021 and April 30, 2020, the Trust did not have any cash balances.

Sheet Arrangements

1 unchanged sentence

Accounting Policies

unaudited financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted

in the United States of America.

The preparation of these unaudited financial statements relies on estimates and assumptions that

impact the Trust’s financial position and results of operations.

These estimates and assumptions affect the Trust’s

application of accounting policies.

In addition, please refer to Note 2 to the unaudited financial statements for further discussion

of accounting policies.

May 6, 2014, the Trust has adopted the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Topic 946, Investment Companies, and follows

specialized accounting.

unaudited financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the

United States of America.

The preparation of these unaudited financial statements relies on estimates and assumptions that impact the

Trust’s financial position and results of operations.

These estimates and assumptions affect the Trust’s application of accounting

In addition, please refer to Note 2 to the unaudited financial statements for further discussion of accounting policies.

May 6, 2014, the Trust has adopted the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Topic 946, Investment Companies, and follows specialized

by Certain Retirement Plans

408(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”), provides that the purchase of a “collectible”

as an investment for an individual retirement account (an “IRA”), or for a participant-directed account maintained

under any plan that is tax-qualified under Code section 401(a) (“Tax-Qualified Account”), is treated as a taxable

distribution from the account to the owner of the IRA, or to the participant for whom the Tax-Qualified Account is maintained,

of an amount equal to the cost to the account of acquiring the collectible.

The Trust, through the Sponsor, has received a private

letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service that provides that (1) the acquisition of Shares by an IRA or a Tax-Qualified

Account will not constitute the acquisition of a collectible and (2) an IRA or such an account’s owning Shares will not

be treated as having made a distribution to the IRA owner or plan participant under Code section 408(m) solely by virtue of owning

those Shares.

If a redemption of Shares results in the delivery of gold to an IRA or Tax-Qualified Account, however, that exchange

would constitute the acquisition of a collectible to the extent provided under that section.

What changed 10-Q

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis