

VanEck Gold Miners ETF
$87.24−1.29 (−1.46%)
- 0.51%
- $26.6B
- +17.6%
- 0.72%
- 22.7M sh
- $88.43
- low $68.13high $117.18
The ETF.net GDX Grade
Score 65 out of 100
- 3 of 18
Score 65 of 100 falls in the B band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.C50 out of 100Rank 9 of 18Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B62 out of 100Rank 7 of 17Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A95 out of 100Rank 1 of 18Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B60 out of 100Rank 9 of 18Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A88 out of 100Rank 1 of 18
Our read on GDX
BThe original gold miner ETF, running since 2006. Roughly 60 mining companies in one ticker, for people who want equity exposure to gold's economics rather than a bar in a vault.
GDX seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index, which is designed to represent companies involved in gold mining.
Why people hold it
- Launched in 2006, this is the elder statesman of gold mining funds: a multi-billion-dollar portfolio that is very actively traded, which usually means easy entries and exits.
- Owns the diggers, not the metal. It tracks the MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index, roughly 60 companies whose profits swing on the gap between gold prices and mining costs.
- At a 0.51% expense ratio it sits right at the typical price for a precious-metals miner fund, and it grades in the top quartile of its 18-fund peer group.
Worth knowing
- Cheaper shelf-mates exist. RING covers global gold miners at 0.39%, so you are paying a bit extra here, largely for scale and trading depth.
- Miner stocks are not bullion. They carry operating costs, debt, labor and country risk on top of the gold price, so moves tend to be sharper in both directions.
- Distributions come annually or semiannually, so this is an equity growth vehicle rather than a steady income line.
GDX Holdings
- Other
- 63
- 59%
- AEM
Sectors
- Materials100.0%
Geography
- Canada56.05%
- United States22.77%
- Australia8.63%
- South Africa4.66%
- Mexico2.52%
- United Kingdom1.59%
- Indonesia1.16%
- Hong Kong1.14%
- 1.48%
Developed 87% · Emerging 13%
GDX Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | GDX |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +3.2% |
| 1 month | −8.8% |
| 3 months | +17.2% |
| 1 year | +17.6% |
| 3 years | +48.9% |
| 5 years | +25.0% |
| 10 years | +15.5% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | GDX |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +3.2% | |
| 2025 | +154.7% | |
| 2024 | +10.6% | |
| 2023 | +10.0% | |
| 2022 | −9.0% | |
| 2021 | −9.5% | |
| 2020 | +23.7% |
GDX in the news
GDX Dividends
- 0.72%
- $0.63
- $0.63 per share
- Annual
Distribution history
GDX Risk
- 40.3%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.10
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −46.5%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.81
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
GDX Cost
- The middle half of Precious Metals Miners funds
- Median 0.52%
8 of the 18 Precious Metals Miners funds charge less.
Other funds in Precious Metals Miners
- BAGMIThemes Silver Miners ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +34.2%
- BAUAUGlobal X - Gold Miners ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return —
- BSGDMSprott Gold Miners ETFExpense ratio 0.46%1 year return +22.5%
- BAUMIThemes Gold Miners ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +15.7%
- BGDXJVanEck Junior Gold Miners ETFExpense ratio 0.52%1 year return +15.5%




