COAL vs PXJ

COALFRange Global Coal Index ETF

PXJCInvesco Oil & Gas Services ETF

In short

COAL Coal, and only coal. Most energy ETFs blend oil, gas and pipelines; this 2024 launch tracks a global coal index instead, giving the fuel its own line item.

PXJ Oilfield services run through a quant filter: PXJ's index ranks drillers, equipment makers and service firms on momentum, quality and value, then holds about 30. Trading since 2005, at 0.63% net of a waiver through August 31, 2028.

Stated mandate

COAL The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Range Global Coal Index.

PXJ The Fund tracks the Dynamic Oil Services Intellidex Index by normally investing at least 90% of total assets in its constituent common stocks. The index targets 30 U.S. companies supporting oil and gas production, processing, and distribution.

Why people hold it

• COAL A pure play: it tracks the Range Global Coal Index rather than diluting the theme with oil, gas and midstream names the way most energy sector funds do.
• Rules over hunches. It is an index-tracking stock fund in a standard 1940 Act wrapper, so what it owns follows a published methodology.
• The mandate is global, not US-only, so the coal exposure is not tied to a single country's producers.

• PXJ Not a cap-weighted mirror. The index scores candidates on price momentum, earnings momentum, quality, management action and value, then reconstitutes four times a year.invesco.com
• Weight spreads across size tiers rather than piling into the biggest service names, leaving more room for mid- and small-cap drillers than a cap-weighted build.sec.gov
• Listed in 2005, it has traded through multiple drilling booms and busts, holding about 30 US companies that support oil and gas production, processing and distribution.

Worth knowing

• COAL The 0.85% fee sits at the back of the energy ETF pack, above cheaper neighbors like XES (0.35%) and MLPX (0.45%).
• One industry, one commodity. Coal equities can swing harder than diversified energy funds, with no oil or pipeline ballast to soften the ride.
• Young and small: launched in 2024 with a modest asset base, and it distributes once or twice a year rather than quarterly.

• PXJ 0.63% net of a waiver through August 31, 2028, near the energy-sector median. Gross is 0.77%, so the cost steps up if that waiver is not extended.
• Cheaper routes into the niche exist: XES charges 0.35%, with no waiver attached. The quant screen is what the difference buys.
• About 30 stocks in one cyclical industry, tracking drilling and completion budgets more than the broad energy complex, with moderate volume rather than mega-fund liquidity.

Full COAL profile⁠

Full PXJ profile⁠