ETF Evaluator:
VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX)
Follow This ETF
(as of Jul 31)
Best Performing in Equity Precious Metals Over the Last Year
| 79.9% | Themes Silver Miners ETF (AGMI) |
| 79.1% | Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) |
| 76.8% | iShares MSCI Global Silver&Mtls Mnrs ETF (SLVP) |
| 75.8% | Sprott Silver Mnrs & Physical Silver ETF (SLVR) |
| 64.4% | Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF (SGDJ) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
VanEck Gold Miners ETF Overview
VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) is a passively managed Sector Equity Equity Precious Metals exchange-traded fund (ETF). VanEck launched the ETF in 2006.
The investment seeks to track as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MarketVector™ Global Gold Miners Index (the “Gold Miners Index” or the “Index”).
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the fund’s benchmark index. The index is a modified capitalization weighted, float-adjusted index comprised of publicly traded companies primarily involved in the gold and silver mining industry. The fund is non-diversified.
About VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 11.15 years: Peter Liao (2006) and Ralph Lasta (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MarketVector Global Gold Miners NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. VanEck Gold Miners ETF has 65 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 58.4% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
VanEck Gold Miners ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. VanEck Gold Miners ETF has 77.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 22.7% There is 77.2% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). VanEck Gold Miners ETF has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $22 billion in total assets, which is above the $2 billion average for the Equity Precious Metals category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
GDX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The VanEck Gold Miners ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Equity Precious Metals category. VanEck Gold Miners ETF has an expense ratio of 0.51%, which is 18% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. VanEck Gold Miners ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 50%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 55% for the Equity Precious Metals category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, VanEck Gold Miners ETF returned -15.5%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Equity Precious Metals category had an average return of -16.0%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
VanEck Gold Miners ETF has a trailing yield of 0.84%, which is below the 2.60% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
VanEck Gold Miners ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -12.4%, 1.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 45.8% over the past year (grade of D), 37.5% over the past three years (grade of D) and 18.9% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 11.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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GDX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| GDX Return (NAV) | -15.5% | -17.4% | 45.8% | 37.5% | 18.9% | 11.6% |
| GDX Return (Price) | -15.7% | -17.8% | 45.9% | 37.4% | 18.9% | 11.6% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.175% | 0.354% | -0.153% | 0.060% | 0.017% | -0.016% |
| Equity Precious Metals Avg | -16.0% | -15.1% | 57.7% | 42.4% | 17.1% | 10.0% |
| GDX Grade (NAV) | C | D | D | D | B | A |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.5% | -2.4% | -11.9% | -4.9% | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| GDX Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.4% |
GDX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GDX Return (NAV) | -12.4% | 155.6% | 10.2% | 10.2% | -8.8% | -9.5% | 23.3% | 40.2% | -8.9% | 12.0% | 52.9% |
| GDX Return (Price) | -12.0% | 154.7% | 10.6% | 10.0% | -9.0% | -9.5% | 23.7% | 39.8% | -8.8% | 12.0% | 52.9% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.028% | -0.006% | 0.045% | -0.027% | 0.020% | 0.002% | 0.017% | -1.1% | -1.4% | -0.4% | 0.0% |
| Equity Precious Metals Avg | -10.9% | 169.5% | 15.1% | 4.9% | -15.7% | -15.1% | 33.4% | 43.1% | -17.3% | 6.2% | 77.4% |
| GDX Grade (NAV) | D | F | F | B | A | B | D | C | A | A | F |
| +/- Category | -1.5% | -13.8% | -4.9% | 5.4% | 6.9% | 5.6% | -10.2% | -2.9% | 8.4% | 5.8% | -24.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.81 |
| R-Squared: | 8% |
| Standard Deviation: | 36.1% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.93 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 2.97 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.8% |
| Total Assets: | $ 22,753 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 22,753 Mil |
| Turnover: | 50.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.51% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI ACWI NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 20.1 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 11.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Liao Peter (2006), Lasta Ralph (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 65 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 58.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 77.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 22.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 77.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.1% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | VanEck |
| Phone Number: | 800-826-2333 |
| Website: | www.marketvectorsetfs.com |
| Inception Date: | May 16, 2006 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.51% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.62% |
