OUNZ vs. SILJ

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about VanEck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ) and ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ).

OUNZ and SILJ are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. OUNZ is a passively managed fund by Merk that tracks the performance of the LBMA Gold Price PM ($/ozt). It was launched on May 16, 2014. SILJ is a passively managed fund by ETFMG that tracks the performance of the Prime Junior Silver Miners & Explorers Index. It was launched on Nov 28, 2012. Both OUNZ and SILJ 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

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in VanEck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ) and ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
OUNZ VanEck Merk Gold Trust	8.61%	63.95%	26.75%	12.83%	-0.51%	-4.00%	24.71%	18.00%	-2.06%	12.82%
SILJ ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF	7.41%	183.89%	6.39%	-5.21%	-15.42%	-23.21%	33.00%	57.06%	-27.95%	-5.65%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, OUNZ achieves a 8.61% return, which is significantly higher than SILJ's 7.41% return. Over the past 10 years, OUNZ has underperformed SILJ with an annualized return of 14.00%, while SILJ has yielded a comparatively higher 14.73% annualized return.

OUNZ

• 1D: 3.75%
• 1M: -11.06%
• YTD: 8.61%
• 6M: 21.13%
• 1Y: 49.47%
• 3Y*: 33.11%
• 5Y*: 21.74%
• 10Y*: 14.00%

SILJ

• 1D: 8.82%
• 1M: -26.25%
• YTD: 7.41%
• 6M: 31.14%
• 1Y: 149.83%
• 3Y*: 42.89%
• 5Y*: 16.70%
• 10Y*: 14.73%

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

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Expense Ratio Comparison

OUNZ has a 0.25% expense ratio, which is lower than SILJ's 0.69% expense ratio.

SILJ

ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF

OUNZ

VanEck Merk Gold Trust

Return for Risk

OUNZ vs. SILJ — Risk / Return Rank

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

OUNZ

OUNZ Risk / Return Rank: 87
OUNZ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
OUNZ Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
OUNZ Omega Ratio Rank: 86
OUNZ Calmar Ratio Rank: 88
OUNZ Martin Ratio Rank: 87

SILJ

SILJ Risk / Return Rank: 95
SILJ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 97
SILJ Sortino Ratio Rank: 94
SILJ Omega Ratio Rank: 92
SILJ Calmar Ratio Rank: 96
SILJ Martin Ratio Rank: 95

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.

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for VanEck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ) and ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ). 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.

	OUNZ	SILJ	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.80	2.74	-0.94
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.24	2.83	-0.59
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.33	1.40	-0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.70	4.26	-1.56
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.98	14.55	-4.57
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current OUNZ Sharpe Ratio is 1.80, which is lower than the SILJ Sharpe Ratio of 2.74. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of OUNZ and SILJ, 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

	OUNZ	SILJ	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.80	2.74	-0.94
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	1.24	0.38	+0.86
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.88	0.32	+0.57
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.70	0.09	+0.62

Correlation

The correlation between OUNZ and SILJ is 0.68, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Dividend Comparison

OUNZ has not paid dividends to shareholders, while SILJ's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.86%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
OUNZ VanEck Merk Gold Trust	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
SILJ ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF	1.86%	2.00%	7.26%	0.01%	0.05%	0.36%	1.23%	1.45%	1.66%	0.00%	0.52%	2.46%

Drawdowns

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum OUNZ drawdown since its inception was -21.77%, smaller than the maximum SILJ drawdown of -79.04%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for OUNZ and SILJ.

Drawdown Indicators

	OUNZ	SILJ	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-21.77%	-79.04%	+57.27%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-19.14%	-34.71%	+15.57%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-21.01%	-56.09%	+35.08%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-21.76%	-70.06%	+48.30%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-13.18%	-26.25%	+13.07%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-7.48%	-41.67%	+34.19%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.17%	10.16%	-4.99%

Volatility

OUNZ vs. SILJ - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for VanEck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ) is 10.95%, while ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) has a volatility of 21.63%. This indicates that OUNZ experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than SILJ based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	OUNZ	SILJ	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.95%	21.63%	-10.68%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	24.08%	46.79%	-22.71%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	27.59%	54.97%	-27.38%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	17.65%	44.07%	-26.42%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	15.88%	46.61%	-30.73%