GDX vs SIL

GDXBVanEck Gold Miners ETF

SILCGlobal X Silver Miners ETF

In short

GDX The 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.

SIL The original US silver-miner ETF, listed since 2010 and still the big, liquid name in a small aisle: about 40 global companies that mine, refine and explore for silver, rather than the metal in a vault.

Stated mandate

GDX 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.

SIL The fund seeks to track the performance of the Solactive Global Silver Miners Total Return Index before fees and expenses, focusing on companies economically tied to silver mining.

Why people hold it

• GDX 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.

• SIL The genre's originator, trading since 2010, now a multi-billion-dollar fund that changes hands actively, so getting in and out rarely takes gymnastics.globalxetfs.com
• Miners, not metal: roughly 40 global companies engaged in silver mining, refining or exploration, so production and cost discipline matter alongside the silver price.globalxetfs.com
• Rules-based and readable: it tracks the Solactive Global Silver Miners Total Return Index, so the lineup follows published index rules, not a manager's hunches.globalxetfs.com

Worth knowing

• GDX 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.

• SIL It charges 0.65% a year, above the typical precious-metals miner fund. Newer rivals undercut it: SLVP at 0.39% and AGMI at 0.35%.
• A global book, much of it listed outside the US, so currency swings and country-level mining rules ride along with the silver story.globalxetfs.com
• Income is a side effect here: cash distributions land once or twice a year, not monthly.

Full GDX profile⁠

Full SIL profile⁠