Why iShares Gold Trust ETF (IAU) Was On the Shelf

Why iShares Gold Trust ETF (IAU) Was On the Shelf by Dave Nadig, FactSet

Friday was one of those days where understanding ETF structure can be the difference between yawning over a press release or worrying that the sky is falling.

Here was the official notice from Blackrock about the iShares Gold Trust (IAU):

“iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC, in its capacity as the sponsor of iShares Gold Trust (IAU), has temporarily suspended the creation of new shares of IAU until additional shares are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).”

What happened after that press release hit the newswire at 9:30 a.m. ET is pretty predictable. Reporters started calling around trying to understand if it was a big...