COPJ vs ICOP

COPJDSprott Junior Copper Miners ETF

ICOPBiShares Copper and Metals Mining ETF

In short

COPJ Most copper ETFs buy the giants already digging. COPJ goes upstream to the juniors: roughly 70 explorers and development-stage miners, picked by a Sprott-built Nasdaq index rather than a manager's hunches.

ICOP The copper-miner aisle has a price leader. ICOP tracks a global index of copper and metals miners for 0.47% a year, the lowest sticker in its peer group, with BlackRock's indexing machinery behind it.

Stated mandate

COPJ The fund targets small copper miners in exploration and development stages, seeking exposure to their potential revenue and asset growth. Before fees and expenses, it seeks returns generally corresponding to the Nasdaq Sprott Junior Copper Miners Index.

ICOP The Fund seeks to track an index of U.S. and non-U.S. equities of companies primarily engaged in copper and metal ore mining.

Why people hold it

• COPJ A genuine pure play on copper's early end. The index screens for small explorers and development-stage names, not the diversified majors that anchor broader copper funds.sprott.com
• Rules-based exposure: holdings follow the published Nasdaq Sprott Junior Copper Miners Index, so what goes in and out is set by methodology, not discretion.
• Roughly 70 names spread the single-mine risk that comes with junior mining, where one permit or drill result can decide a company.
• Sits at the small end of Sprott's copper shelf, with sibling COPP covering the larger producers.

• ICOP At 0.47% a year it is the cheapest fund in the copper-mining cohort, undercutting COPX (0.65%), COPP (0.66%), COPJ (0.75%) and KCOP (0.99%), and sitting below the group's 0.66% median.
• A rules-based pure play: it follows the STOXX Global Copper and Metals Mining Index, holding companies primarily engaged in copper and metal ore mining. Miners' shares, not copper futures, and no stock-picking.ishares.com
• Global by mandate, not by accident: the index reaches U.S. and non-U.S. miners, which is where much of the world's copper actually trades. Distributions are paid quarterly.ishares.com
• One of the stronger builds in a small copper-mining field, pairing the lowest fee in the group with a mainstream iShares index wrapper.

Worth knowing

• COPJ The 0.75% expense ratio runs above the copper miner group's median, and broader peers like COPX and ICOP list lower fees.
• Juniors are often pre-revenue: value hangs on drilling, permits and financing, so moves are wider than large-cap copper in both directions.
• A smaller, moderately traded fund with occasional (annual or semiannual) distributions, not a monthly income stream.

• ICOP Non-diversified by design: a few dozen miners levered to one metal, with the largest names carrying a big slice. Copper prices and mine-level news drive the ride.ishares.com
• A large share of the basket is listed outside the U.S., so currency moves and foreign market risks come along with the copper exposure.ishares.com
• It launched in 2023, so the live record is short, and trading is moderate rather than heavy. Limit orders earn their keep on bigger tickets.

Full COPJ profile⁠

Full ICOP profile⁠