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Launched · SEC filings

VanEck Gold Miners ETF

GDXNYSE ArcaVanEckB

$79.16+2.07 (+2.69%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

B65/ 100

Rank 3 of 18 in Precious Metals Miners

B65/100Rank 3 of 18inPrecious Metals Miners
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 77.09 to 79.16. Range 78.90 to 80.27. Use the arrow keys to read each point.77.5078.0078.5080.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.51%
Fund size
$23.8B
1Y total return
+7.7%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.82%
Holdings
61
Avg volume · 30D
21.2M sh
52W range
low $68.20high $117.18
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net GDX Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

B

Score 65 out of 100

Category
Precious Metals Miners⁠
Rank
3 of 18
Six-pillar profile for GDX. Scores out of 100: Cost 50, Risk 66, Mission not scored, Tradability 95, Holdings 57, Durability 88. Strongest: Tradability (95). Weakest: Cost (50). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

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 100
    Rank 9 of 18

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    B66 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 18

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A95 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 18

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B57 out of 100
    Rank 11 of 18

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A88 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 18

Our read on GDX

ETF.net Research

In short

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.

Stated mandate

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 Performance

Launched May 16, 2006

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

GDX$10,773
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. GDX $10,773. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$12,500$15,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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.

Trailing total return for GDX. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodGDX
Year to date−10.1%
1 month−12.2%
3 months+4.0%
1 year+7.7%
3 yearsper year+41.8%
5 yearsper year+21.1%
10 yearsper year+13.2%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for GDX
YearReturn barGDX
2026 YTD−10.1%
2025+154.7%
2024+10.6%
2023+10.0%
2022−9.0%
2021−9.5%
2020+23.7%

GDX in the news

GDX Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 30, 2026.
0.82%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.63Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.63 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 9 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 18, 2017 $0.18; Dec 20, 2018 $0.11; Dec 23, 2019 $0.19; Dec 21, 2020 $0.19; Dec 20, 2021 $0.53; Dec 19, 2022 $0.48; Dec 18, 2023 $0.50; Dec 23, 2024 $0.40; Dec 22, 2025 $0.63. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 22, 2025Dec 26, 2025$0.63
Dec 23, 2024Dec 24, 2024$0.40
Dec 18, 2023Dec 22, 2023$0.50
Dec 19, 2022Dec 23, 2022$0.48
Dec 20, 2021Dec 27, 2021$0.53
Dec 21, 2020Dec 28, 2020$0.19
Dec 23, 2019Dec 30, 2019$0.19
Dec 20, 2018Dec 27, 2018$0.11
Dec 18, 2017Dec 22, 2017$0.18
Dec 19, 2016Dec 23, 2016$0.06
Dec 21, 2015Dec 28, 2015$0.12
Dec 22, 2014Dec 29, 2014$0.12

See all 19 payments⁠

$10,000 in GDX 10 years ago paid $1,302 in dividends.⁠

GDX Risk

Risk pillarB66 out of 100Rank 4 of 18 in Precious Metals Miners
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
41.4%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
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.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.94
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
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.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−46.5%
Trough Sep 2022
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.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
0.81
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

GDX Cost

Compare GDX and AUMI

Overpaying vs AUMI, tied cheapest in Precious Metals Miners

$3,039

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • GDX 0.51%

    $10,165

  • AUMI 0.35% Tied cheapest

    $7,126

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • GDX 0.51%
  • AUMI 0.35%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530GDX $10,165AUMI $7,126

Year by year

YearGDXAUMIOverpaying
10$918$634$284
20$3,527$2,454$1,073
30$10,165$7,126$3,039

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