DRIP vs. NUGT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bear 2x Shares (DRIP) and Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT).

DRIP and NUGT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. DRIP is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index (-300%). It was launched on Apr 1, 2020. NUGT is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (300%). It was launched on Apr 1, 2020. Both DRIP and NUGT are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

DRIP vs. NUGT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bear 2x Shares (DRIP) and Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

DRIP vs. NUGT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
DRIP Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bear 2x Shares	-53.90%	-14.81%	1.27%	-17.24%	-73.57%	-79.74%	-42.76%	-36.11%	49.62%	-9.05%
NUGT Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares	2.59%	425.05%	2.89%	2.60%	-32.10%	-26.31%	-60.16%	100.73%	-44.52%	3.73%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DRIP achieves a -53.90% return, which is significantly lower than NUGT's 2.59% return. Over the past 10 years, DRIP has underperformed NUGT with an annualized return of -47.04%, while NUGT has yielded a comparatively higher -1.76% annualized return.

DRIP

• 1D: 4.02%
• 1M: -30.07%
• YTD: -53.90%
• 6M: -51.15%
• 1Y: -60.00%
• 3Y*: -31.92%
• 5Y*: -46.13%
• 10Y*: -47.04%

NUGT

• 1D: 14.02%
• 1M: -39.84%
• YTD: 2.59%
• 6M: 22.25%
• 1Y: 204.10%
• 3Y*: 67.13%
• 5Y*: 27.67%
• 10Y*: -1.76%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

DRIP vs. NUGT - Expense Ratio Comparison

DRIP has a 1.07% expense ratio, which is lower than NUGT's 1.23% expense ratio.

NUGT

Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares

DRIP

Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bear 2x Shares

Return for Risk

DRIP vs. NUGT — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

DRIP

DRIP Risk / Return Rank: 1
DRIP Sharpe Ratio Rank: 1
DRIP Sortino Ratio Rank: 1
DRIP Omega Ratio Rank: 1
DRIP Calmar Ratio Rank: 1
DRIP Martin Ratio Rank: 2

NUGT

NUGT Risk / Return Rank: 91
NUGT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 94
NUGT Sortino Ratio Rank: 88
NUGT Omega Ratio Rank: 87
NUGT Calmar Ratio Rank: 95
NUGT Martin Ratio Rank: 92

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.

DRIP vs. NUGT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bear 2x Shares (DRIP) and Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	DRIP	NUGT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.90	2.25	-3.16
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-1.52	2.36	-3.87
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.83	1.34	-0.52
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.80	3.92	-4.72
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-1.30	12.64	-13.94
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DRIP vs. NUGT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DRIP Sharpe Ratio is -0.90, which is lower than the NUGT Sharpe Ratio of 2.25. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DRIP and NUGT, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	DRIP	NUGT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.90	2.25	-3.16
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.67	0.39	-1.07
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.49	-0.02	-0.47
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.43	-0.33	-0.10

Correlation

The correlation between DRIP and NUGT is -0.15. This indicates that the assets' prices tend to move in opposite directions. Negative correlation can be particularly beneficial for diversification and risk management, as one asset may offset the losses of the other during market fluctuations.

Dividends

DRIP vs. NUGT - Dividend Comparison

DRIP's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.28%, more than NUGT's 0.29% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
DRIP Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bear 2x Shares	4.28%	2.86%	4.38%	5.09%	0.00%	0.00%	0.01%	0.96%	0.58%
NUGT Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares	0.29%	0.22%	1.79%	1.67%	0.70%	0.00%	0.00%	0.63%	0.57%

Drawdowns

DRIP vs. NUGT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DRIP drawdown since its inception was -99.95%, roughly equal to the maximum NUGT drawdown of -99.97%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DRIP and NUGT.

Drawdown Indicators

	DRIP	NUGT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-99.95%	-99.97%	+0.02%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-76.02%	-53.58%	-22.44%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-96.75%	-73.79%	-22.96%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-99.92%	-96.91%	-3.01%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-99.94%	-99.76%	-0.18%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-90.30%	-91.43%	+1.13%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	46.55%	16.61%	+29.94%

Volatility

DRIP vs. NUGT - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Bear 2x Shares (DRIP) is 14.57%, while Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT) has a volatility of 36.87%. This indicates that DRIP experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than NUGT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	DRIP	NUGT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	14.57%	36.87%	-22.30%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	38.68%	77.23%	-38.55%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	66.53%	91.23%	-24.70%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	68.89%	70.70%	-1.81%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	97.12%	89.95%	+7.17%