Quote from ptrjon:
Nope,
the amount of actual gold that the trust owns, and the amount attributable to each share- is very consistent. A shareowner has indirect ownership of physical gold, minus an expense ratio that gets taken out.
SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust), formerly StreetTRACKS Gold Trust, is an investment trust. The Trust holds gold, and from time to time, issues the SPDR Gold Shares (Shares) (formerly streetTRACKS Gold Shares) in blocks of 100,000 Shares (Baskets) in exchange for deposits of gold and distributes gold in connection with redemptions of Baskets. The Shares represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion.
http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=GLD