NUGT vs. GDX

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT) and VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX).

NUGT and GDX are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. 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. GDX is a passively managed fund by VanEck that tracks the performance of the NYSE MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index. It was launched on May 16, 2006. Both NUGT and GDX 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

NUGT vs. GDX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT) and VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

NUGT vs. GDX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
NUGT Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares	11.72%	425.05%	2.89%	2.60%	-32.10%	-26.31%	-60.16%	100.73%	-44.52%	3.73%
GDX VanEck Gold Miners ETF	11.94%	154.77%	10.63%	9.98%	-9.01%	-9.52%	23.66%	39.84%	-8.77%	11.99%

Returns By Period

The year-to-date returns for both investments are quite close, with NUGT having a 11.72% return and GDX slightly higher at 11.94%. Over the past 10 years, NUGT has underperformed GDX with an annualized return of -0.92%, while GDX has yielded a comparatively higher 18.07% annualized return.

NUGT

• 1D: 8.90%
• 1M: -33.79%
• YTD: 11.72%
• 6M: 30.46%
• 1Y: 233.84%
• 3Y*: 71.95%
• 5Y*: 29.87%
• 10Y*: -0.92%

GDX

• 1D: 4.62%
• 1M: -16.76%
• YTD: 11.94%
• 6M: 25.38%
• 1Y: 111.15%
• 3Y*: 45.40%
• 5Y*: 25.09%
• 10Y*: 18.07%

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

NUGT vs. GDX - Expense Ratio Comparison

NUGT has a 1.23% expense ratio, which is higher than GDX's 0.51% expense ratio.

NUGT

Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares

GDX

VanEck Gold Miners ETF

Return for Risk

NUGT vs. GDX — Risk / Return Rank

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

NUGT

NUGT Risk / Return Rank: 92
NUGT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 96
NUGT Sortino Ratio Rank: 88
NUGT Omega Ratio Rank: 88
NUGT Calmar Ratio Rank: 95
NUGT Martin Ratio Rank: 93

GDX

GDX Risk / Return Rank: 92
GDX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 95
GDX Sortino Ratio Rank: 90
GDX Omega Ratio Rank: 89
GDX Calmar Ratio Rank: 93
GDX Martin Ratio Rank: 91

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.

NUGT vs. GDX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT) and VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX). 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.

	NUGT	GDX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.57	2.42	+0.15
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.51	2.60	-0.09
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.37	1.38	-0.01
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	4.31	3.58	+0.73
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	13.80	12.86	+0.95
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

NUGT vs. GDX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current NUGT Sharpe Ratio is 2.57, which is comparable to the GDX Sharpe Ratio of 2.42. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of NUGT and GDX, 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

	NUGT	GDX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.57	2.42	+0.15
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.42	0.71	-0.28
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.01	0.48	-0.49
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	-0.32	0.14	-0.46

Correlation

The correlation between NUGT and GDX is 0.99, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

NUGT vs. GDX - Dividend Comparison

NUGT's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.27%, less than GDX's 0.66% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
NUGT Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares	0.27%	0.22%	1.79%	1.67%	0.70%	0.00%	0.00%	0.63%	0.57%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
GDX VanEck Gold Miners ETF	0.66%	0.74%	1.19%	1.61%	1.66%	1.67%	0.53%	0.67%	0.50%	0.76%	0.26%	0.85%

Drawdowns

NUGT vs. GDX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum NUGT drawdown since its inception was -99.97%, which is greater than GDX's maximum drawdown of -80.34%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for NUGT and GDX.

Drawdown Indicators

	NUGT	GDX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-99.97%	-80.34%	-19.63%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-53.58%	-30.84%	-22.74%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-73.79%	-46.51%	-27.28%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-96.91%	-49.79%	-47.12%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-99.74%	-17.12%	-82.62%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-91.43%	-40.60%	-50.83%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	16.75%	8.58%	+8.17%

Volatility

NUGT vs. GDX - Volatility Comparison

Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT) has a higher volatility of 33.96% compared to VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) at 17.26%. This indicates that NUGT's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than GDX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	NUGT	GDX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	33.96%	17.26%	+16.70%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	77.66%	38.43%	+39.23%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	91.60%	46.20%	+45.40%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	70.75%	35.76%	+34.99%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	89.98%	37.46%	+52.52%