SGDM vs SLVR

SGDMBSprott Gold Miners ETF

SLVRDSprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF

In short

SGDM SGDM doesn't just rank gold miners by size. It tracks a custom-factors index of roughly 50 larger miners listed in Canada and the US, and charges 0.46%, under its peer group's median fee.

SLVR Most silver funds make you choose: the metal or the miners. SLVR holds both, tracking an index of silver-mining companies alongside physical-silver trusts, in a peer group where 'precious metals miners' usually means gold.

Stated mandate

SGDM The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Solactive Gold Miners Custom Factors Index, which targets larger gold companies listed on Canadian and major U.S. exchanges.

SLVR The Fund seeks to track an index focused on silver-mining companies and physical-silver trusts. It normally invests at least 80% of total assets in securities of that index.

Why people hold it

• SGDM Fee of 0.46% sits under the median for precious-metals miner funds, and under both GDX (0.51%) and GDXJ (0.52%).
• Rules-based and named out loud: it follows the Solactive Gold Miners Custom Factors Index (SOLGMCFT), and it has stayed close to that stated mandate.
• Running since 2014, a long life for a thematic fund, and it holds about 50 larger gold companies rather than a sprawling list.
• Lands in the upper half of the gold and silver miner group in our review, with high confidence in the underlying data.

• SLVR One wrapper, both sides of the silver trade: the index blends silver miners with physical-silver trusts, and at least 80% of assets normally sit in it.
• Genuinely silver-first. Much of its cohort (RING, GDX, GDXJ) is built around gold miners, with silver as an afterthought.
• The portfolio hews closely to the index it promises, with little style drift, and spreads across roughly 80 miners and metal trusts.

Worth knowing

• SGDM Thinly traded next to the category's giants, so spreads can be wider and larger orders can push the price around.
• The index sticks to Canadian and major US listings, so gold miners quoted only on other exchanges sit outside the portfolio.
• One industry, driven by the gold price and how well mines actually run, so the ride is bumpier than a broad stock fund.

• SLVR At 0.65% a year, it costs more than the typical fund in its group. AGMI (0.35%) and SLVP (0.39%) cover silver miners for less.
• One metal, one industry. Miner shares tend to amplify silver's swings in both directions, and this book is concentrated.
• Launched in 2025, so the track record is short. Volume is moderate rather than heavy, and cash comes back once or twice a year, not monthly.

Full SGDM profile⁠

Full SLVR profile⁠