Skip to content
etf.net

Launched

Sprott Nickel Miners ETF

NIKLNasdaqSprottF

$10.54+0.07 (+0.63%)

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

F27/ 100

Rank 12 of 13 in Critical Materials

F27/100Rank 12 of 13inCritical Materials
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 10.47 to 10.54. Range 10.41 to 10.74. Use the arrow keys to read each point.10.4010.6010.7010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.75%
Fund size
$39M
1Y total return
−24.7%
Yield · Last 12 months
3.80%
Holdings
27
Avg volume · 30D
54.6K sh
52W range
low $10.35high $21.86
Launched

The ETF.net NIKL Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

F

Score 27 out of 100

Category
Critical Materials⁠
Rank
12 of 13
Six-pillar profile for NIKL. Scores out of 100: Cost 14, Risk 37, Mission not scored, Tradability 40, Holdings 25, Durability 42. Strongest: Durability (42). Weakest: Cost (14). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 27 of 100 falls in the D band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25. The letter stays F for now. A new letter must hold for 3 published runs before it replaces it.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    F14 out of 100
    Rank 11 of 13

  • 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.
    D37 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 13

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C40 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 13

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D25 out of 100
    Rank 11 of 11

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    C42 out of 100
    Rank 10 of 13

Our read on NIKL

ETF.net Research

In short

FNickel is the metal stainless steel and battery cathodes run on, and NIKL is the only US ETF built purely on the companies digging it. One metal, roughly two dozen global miners, no diversified-mining cushion.

Stated mandate

NIKL is designed to deliver returns broadly corresponding to the Nasdaq Sprott Nickel Miners Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

  • The only US ETF focused on nickel miners. Broad battery-metals funds bury nickel among lithium and cobalt names; this one keeps the exposure to a single metal.sprottetfs.com
  • The Nasdaq Sprott index spans nickel producers, developers and explorers, and the fund normally holds at least 80% of assets in index securities, so the pure-play design is written into the rules.sprottetfs.comsprottetfs.com 2
  • Sprott's whole shelf is mining. Nickel sits beside sibling single-metal miner funds and a broader critical-materials basket (SETM), so you can dial exposure narrow or wide within one house.sprottetfs.com

Worth knowing

  • At 0.75%, the fee sits above the norm for critical-materials funds and roughly double a diversified miners option like PICK at 0.39%. Narrow focus costs money.
  • Around 26 mostly international miners, explorers and developers included. One commodity's price swings drive the whole portfolio, with no other metals to soften the ride.sprottetfs.com
  • Cash comes back once or twice a year, not monthly, and the fund only launched in 2023, so the live record is short by design.

NIKL Performance

Launched Mar 21, 2023

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

Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
NIKL$7,526
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. NIKL $7,526. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$7,500$10,000$12,500$15,000Oct 2025May 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 NIKL. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodNIKL
Year to date−33.4%
1 month−22.2%
3 months−18.5%
1 year−24.7%
3 yearsper year−8.3%
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper yearNo data
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

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 NIKL
YearReturn barNIKL
2026 YTD−33.4%
2025+51.9%
2024−22.5%
2023−18.3%

History from Mar 22, 2023

NIKL in the news

NIKL 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.
3.80%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.40Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.40 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2023–2026

One bar per payment. 3 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Dec 14, 2023 $2.77; Dec 12, 2024 $0.37; Dec 18, 2025 $0.40. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 18, 2025Dec 22, 2025$0.40
Dec 12, 2024Dec 19, 2024$0.37
Dec 14, 2023Dec 21, 2023$2.77

$10,000 in NIKL 3 years ago paid $1,913 in dividends.

NIKL Risk

Risk pillarD37 out of 100Rank 8 of 13 in Critical Materials
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
36.8%
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.
−0.17
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.
−60.4%
43 months · trough Apr 2025
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.
1.10
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.

NIKL Cost

Compare NIKL and ILIT

Overpaying vs ILIT, cheapest in Critical Materials

$5,064

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

  • NIKL 0.75%

    $14,482

  • ILIT 0.47% Cheapest

    $9,418

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • NIKL 0.75%
  • ILIT 0.47%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530NIKL $14,482ILIT $9,418

Year by year

YearNIKLILITOverpaying
10$1,336$847$489
20$5,078$3,261$1,817
30$14,482$9,418$5,064

Other funds in Critical Materials

See others