RETL vs. NUGT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares (RETL) and Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT).

RETL and NUGT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. RETL is a passively managed fund by Direxion that tracks the performance of the Russell 1000 Retail Index (300%). It was launched on Jul 14, 2010. 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 RETL 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

RETL vs. NUGT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares (RETL) and Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

RETL vs. NUGT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
RETL Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares	-19.74%	-5.98%	9.59%	33.62%	-80.80%	101.03%	63.63%	23.41%	-35.21%	-1.31%
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, RETL achieves a -19.74% return, which is significantly lower than NUGT's 2.59% return. Over the past 10 years, RETL has underperformed NUGT with an annualized return of -6.00%, while NUGT has yielded a comparatively higher -1.76% annualized return.

RETL

• 1D: 7.74%
• 1M: -21.94%
• YTD: -19.74%
• 6M: -26.51%
• 1Y: 21.54%
• 3Y*: 1.20%
• 5Y*: -27.76%
• 10Y*: -6.00%

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)

RETL vs. NUGT - Expense Ratio Comparison

RETL has a 0.99% expense ratio, which is lower than NUGT's 1.23% expense ratio.

NUGT

Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares

RETL

Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares

Return for Risk

RETL vs. NUGT — Risk / Return Rank

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

RETL

RETL Risk / Return Rank: 27
RETL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 21
RETL Sortino Ratio Rank: 34
RETL Omega Ratio Rank: 31
RETL Calmar Ratio Rank: 28
RETL Martin Ratio Rank: 23

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.

RETL vs. NUGT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares (RETL) 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.

	RETL	NUGT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.30	2.25	-1.95
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.97	2.36	-1.39
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.12	1.34	-0.22
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.65	3.92	-3.27
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.56	12.64	-11.07
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

RETL vs. NUGT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current RETL Sharpe Ratio is 0.30, which is lower than the NUGT Sharpe Ratio of 2.25. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of RETL 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

	RETL	NUGT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.30	2.25	-1.95
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.35	0.39	-0.74
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.08	-0.02	-0.06
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.19	-0.33	+0.52

Correlation

The correlation between RETL and NUGT is 0.07, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

RETL vs. NUGT - Dividend Comparison

RETL's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.64%, more than NUGT's 0.29% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
RETL Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares	0.64%	0.58%	1.13%	1.35%	0.71%	0.22%	0.19%	0.92%	1.19%	0.01%	2.60%
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%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

RETL vs. NUGT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum RETL drawdown since its inception was -92.00%, smaller than the maximum NUGT drawdown of -99.97%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for RETL and NUGT.

Drawdown Indicators

	RETL	NUGT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-92.00%	-99.97%	+7.97%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-37.89%	-53.58%	+15.69%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-92.00%	-73.79%	-18.21%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-92.00%	-96.91%	+4.91%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-86.22%	-99.76%	+13.54%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-37.02%	-91.43%	+54.41%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	15.73%	16.61%	-0.88%

Volatility

RETL vs. NUGT - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3X Shares (RETL) is 17.46%, while Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bull 2X Shares (NUGT) has a volatility of 36.87%. This indicates that RETL 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

	RETL	NUGT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	17.46%	36.87%	-19.41%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	43.28%	77.23%	-33.95%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	72.49%	91.23%	-18.74%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	79.82%	70.70%	+9.12%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	79.57%	89.95%	-10.38%