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VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX)
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

ETF Info

ISIN
US92028G1004
CUSIP
92028G100
Issuer
VanEck
Inception Date
May 16, 2006
Region
Developed Markets (Broad)
Leveraged
1x (No leverage)
Index Tracked
NYSE MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index
Domicile
United States
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Commodity
Asset Class Size
Large-Cap
Asset Class Style
Growth

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in VanEck Gold Miners ETF, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) has returned 7.00% so far this year and 101.08% over the past 12 months. Looking at the last ten years, GDX has achieved an annualized return of 17.53%, outperforming the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% per year.


VanEck Gold Miners ETF

1D
6.97%
1M
-20.78%
YTD
7.00%
6M
20.99%
1Y
101.08%
3Y*
43.23%
5Y*
23.96%
10Y*
17.53%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since May 22, 2006, GDX's average daily return is +0.06%, while the average monthly return is +1.02%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 5.7 years.

Historically, 54% of months were positive and 46% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +40.0%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -36.2%. The longest winning streak lasted 6 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, GDX closed higher 50% of trading days. The best single day was Nov 21, 2008 with a return of +27.2%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -22.8%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20269.83%22.97%-20.78%7.00%
202514.89%1.95%15.74%6.61%3.35%2.78%-0.81%22.33%20.94%-5.68%15.50%3.80%154.77%
2024-9.90%-5.65%19.95%4.78%6.55%-3.88%11.79%1.82%3.11%1.31%-6.64%-8.90%10.63%
202311.72%-14.08%17.59%3.80%-7.95%-2.59%4.32%-6.84%-8.03%4.09%11.82%0.64%9.98%
2022-5.62%13.73%11.55%-8.76%-9.32%-13.71%-4.05%-9.40%1.34%0.17%20.24%0.33%-9.01%
2021-4.19%-9.79%4.40%5.72%14.73%-13.80%2.77%-6.64%-9.60%7.60%0.28%2.48%-9.52%

Benchmark Metrics

VanEck Gold Miners ETF has an annualized alpha of 8.59%, beta of 0.56, and R² of 0.07 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since May 23, 2006.

  • This ETF participated in 50.89% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 47.46% of its upside — more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
  • Beta of 0.56 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.07 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
  • R² of 0.07 means this ETF moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index — capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

Alpha
8.59%
Beta
0.56
0.07
Upside Capture
47.46%
Downside Capture
50.89%

Expense Ratio

GDX has an expense ratio of 0.51%, placing it in the medium range.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

GDX ranks 90 for risk / return — in the top 90% of ETFs on our site. This means strong returns relative to risk — exactly what professional investors look for. Well-suited for investors who want to maximize return per unit of risk.


GDX Risk / Return Rank: 9090
Overall Rank
GDX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 9393
Sharpe Ratio Rank
GDX Sortino Ratio Rank: 8787
Sortino Ratio Rank
GDX Omega Ratio Rank: 8787
Omega Ratio Rank
GDX Calmar Ratio Rank: 9292
Calmar Ratio Rank
GDX Martin Ratio Rank: 9090
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


GDXBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

2.21

0.90

+1.31

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

2.45

1.39

+1.06

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.36

1.21

+0.15

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

3.34

1.40

+1.94

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

12.07

6.61

+5.46

Explore GDX risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Dividends

Dividend History

VanEck Gold Miners ETF provided a 0.69% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.63 per share.


0.50%1.00%1.50%$0.00$0.10$0.20$0.30$0.40$0.50$0.6020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$0.63$0.63$0.40$0.50$0.48$0.53$0.19$0.20$0.11$0.18$0.06$0.12

Dividend yield

0.69%0.74%1.19%1.61%1.66%1.67%0.53%0.67%0.50%0.76%0.26%0.85%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for VanEck Gold Miners ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00
2025$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.63$0.63
2024$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.40$0.40
2023$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.50$0.50
2022$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.48$0.48
2021$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.53$0.53

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the VanEck Gold Miners ETF was 80.34%, occurring on Jan 19, 2016. Recovery took 2402 trading sessions.

The current VanEck Gold Miners ETF drawdown is 20.78%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-80.34%Sep 9, 20111096Jan 19, 20162402Aug 7, 20253498
-70.79%Mar 17, 2008157Oct 27, 2008479Sep 22, 2010636
-30.84%Mar 2, 202615Mar 20, 2026
-20.52%Sep 6, 200620Oct 3, 200698Feb 26, 2007118
-19.96%Jul 20, 200720Aug 16, 200722Sep 18, 200742

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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