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ILIT vs NIKL

iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF

ILITBNasdaq

Sprott Nickel Miners ETF

NIKLFNasdaq

Overlap

Expense ratio

ILIT −0.28pt a year

ILIT0.47%NIKL0.75%

Avg volume · 30D

NIKL 4.5×the volume

ILIT12.1KNIKL54.6K

3Y return · a year

NIKL +2.6pt

ILIT−10.9%NIKL−8.3%

ILIT vs NIKL Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

−26.3%ILIT−24.7%NIKL

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. ILIT −26.3%. NIKL −24.7%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%20%40%60%80%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
ILIT 0.47%, better
NIKL 0.75%
Fund size
ILIT $10M
NIKL $39M
1Y total return
ILIT −26.3%
NIKL −24.7%, better
Yield (12M)
ILIT 3.22%
NIKL 3.80%, better
Holdings
ILIT 54
NIKL 27
Avg volume (30D)
ILIT 12.1K sh
NIKL 54.6K sh, better
NAV per share
ILIT $10.05
NIKL $10.63
52W range

ETF.net Grade

ILIT: Cost 97, Risk 27, Mission not scored, Tradability 40, Holdings 69, Durability 43. NIKL: Cost 14, Risk 37, Mission not scored, Tradability 40, Holdings 25, Durability 42.
Pillar letters and Scores for ILIT, NIKL, with each pillar’s weight
PillarILITNIKL
Cost30% weightA97HigherF14
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightD27D37Higher
Tradability15% weightC40C40
Holdings10% weightB69HigherD25
Durability5% weightC43HigherC42

Rank among Critical Materials funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. ILIT and NIKL are both graded against the same 12 Critical Materials funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Critical Materials⁠

Category · 12 funds
See all 12 ›

ILIT ranks 2nd and NIKL 12th of 12 funds in the Critical Materials Category.

  1. Rank 1AREMXVanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETFScore 75
  2. Rank 2BILITiShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETFScore 64
  3. Rank 3BEARTGlobal X Rare Earth & Critical Materials ETFScore 59
  4. Rank 11DLITPSprott Lithium Miners ETFScore 34
  5. Rank 12FNIKLSprott Nickel Miners ETFScore 27

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ILITBiShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF

NIKLFSprott Nickel Miners ETF

In short

ILIT Most lithium funds blend miners with EV makers and battery tech. ILIT stays at the source: an index of global companies whose main business is digging lithium ore or making lithium compounds, about 40 names, for 0.47% a year.

NIKL Nickel 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

ILIT ILIT aims to replicate an index of U.S. and non-U.S. equity issuers whose principal activities are lithium-ore mining or lithium-compound manufacturing.

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

Why people hold it

  • ILIT Straight to the rock. The index holds only firms whose principal business is lithium-ore mining or lithium-compound manufacturing, so EV assemblers and electronics names stay out.ishares.com
  • 0.47% a year undercuts most of the critical-materials shelf, including SETM (0.65%) and EART (0.59%).
  • Rules-based and transparent: it replicates the STOXX Global Lithium Miners and Producers Index (STXLIMEV) rather than a manager's stock picks.
  • Global by design. The mandate spans US, developed international and emerging market issuers instead of stopping at the US border.
  • NIKL 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

  • ILIT Small asset base and light trading volume, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than on the big diversified mining funds.
  • One metal, roughly 40 stocks. Lithium-linked shares have been a volatile ride, and a portfolio this concentrated feels every move in the metal.
  • Launched in 2023, so the track record is short, and cash distributions land only once or twice a year.
  • NIKL 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.

Full ILIT profile⁠

Full NIKL profile⁠

ILIT vs NIKL Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

ILIT vs NIKL Cost

Overpaying NIKL vs ILIT

$5,064

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

  • ILIT 0.47%

    $9,418

  • NIKL 0.75%

    $14,482

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ILIT 0.47%
  • NIKL 0.75%
  • 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

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

Expense ratio

  • 0.47%ILIT, cheaper
  • 0.75%NIKL
  • Middle half of Critical Materials funds
  • Median 0.64%

ILIT cheapest of 12 funds

NIKL 11th cheapest of 12 funds

ILIT vs NIKL Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
ILIT 3.22%
NIKL 3.80%, better
Payout (12M)
ILIT $0.32
NIKL $0.40
Last payment
ILIT $0.02
NIKL $0.40
Ex-dividend
ILIT Jun 15, 2026
NIKL Dec 18, 2025
Paid on
ILIT Jun 18, 2026
NIKL Dec 22, 2025
Frequency
ILIT Twice a year
NIKL Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

ILITTwice a year · 6 paymentsAll ILIT payments⁠
One bar per payment. 6 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Dec 20, 2023 $0.12; Jun 11, 2024 $0.08; Dec 17, 2024 $0.50; Jun 16, 2025 $0.06; Dec 16, 2025 $0.30; Jun 15, 2026 $0.02. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5020232026YTD
NIKLAnnual · 3 paymentsAll NIKL payments⁠
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.$0$2.5020232026YTD

ILIT vs NIKL Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
ILIT 46.6%NIKL 36.8%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
ILIT −0.11, betterNIKL −0.17
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
ILIT −73.7%since Jun 2023NIKL −60.4%since Mar 2023
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
ILIT 1.58NIKL 1.10

Popular comparisons

  • ILITBvsREMXA

    iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF · VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.47% · 0.53%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NIKLFvsREMXA

    Sprott Nickel Miners ETF · VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.53%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • ILITBvsEARTB

    iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF · Global X Rare Earth & Critical Materials ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.47% · 0.59%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NIKLFvsEARTB

    Sprott Nickel Miners ETF · Global X Rare Earth & Critical Materials ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.59%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • ILITBvsSETMC

    iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF · Sprott Critical Materials ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.47% · 0.65%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NIKLFvsSETMC

    Sprott Nickel Miners ETF · Sprott Critical Materials ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.75% · 0.65%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.