SILJ vs. BTC-USD

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) and Bitcoin (BTC-USD).

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.

Performance

SILJ vs. BTC-USD - Performance Comparison

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

SILJ vs. BTC-USD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
SILJ ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF	11.35%	183.89%	6.39%	-5.21%	-15.42%	-23.21%	33.00%	57.06%	-27.95%	-5.65%
BTC-USD Bitcoin	-21.63%	-6.27%	120.76%	155.82%	-64.23%	59.40%	304.57%	94.10%	-73.37%	1,324.24%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SILJ achieves a 11.35% return, which is significantly higher than BTC-USD's -21.63% return. Over the past 10 years, SILJ has underperformed BTC-USD with an annualized return of 15.15%, while BTC-USD has yielded a comparatively higher 66.45% annualized return.

SILJ

• 1D: 3.67%
• 1M: -22.88%
• YTD: 11.35%
• 6M: 34.60%
• 1Y: 163.12%
• 3Y*: 44.62%
• 5Y*: 17.55%
• 10Y*: 15.15%

BTC-USD

• 1D: 0.51%
• 1M: -0.38%
• YTD: -21.63%
• 6M: -42.21%
• 1Y: -19.49%
• 3Y*: 34.49%
• 5Y*: 3.06%
• 10Y*: 66.45%

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

Return for Risk

SILJ vs. BTC-USD — Risk / Return Rank

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

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

BTC-USD

BTC-USD Risk / Return Rank: 43
BTC-USD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 61
BTC-USD Sortino Ratio Rank: 55
BTC-USD Omega Ratio Rank: 51
BTC-USD Calmar Ratio Rank: 43
BTC-USD Martin Ratio Rank: 4

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.

SILJ vs. BTC-USD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) and Bitcoin (BTC-USD). 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.

	SILJ	BTC-USD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.98	-0.44	+3.43
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.97	-0.38	+3.35
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.42	0.96	+0.46
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	4.58	-1.11	+5.69
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	15.52	-1.99	+17.51
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SILJ vs. BTC-USD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SILJ Sharpe Ratio is 2.98, which is higher than the BTC-USD Sharpe Ratio of -0.44. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SILJ and BTC-USD, 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

	SILJ	BTC-USD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.98	-0.44	+3.43
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.40	0.05	+0.35
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.33	0.97	-0.65
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.10	1.19	-1.10

Correlation

The correlation between SILJ and BTC-USD is 0.10, 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.

Drawdowns

SILJ vs. BTC-USD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SILJ drawdown since its inception was -79.04%, smaller than the maximum BTC-USD drawdown of -85.30%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SILJ and BTC-USD.

Drawdown Indicators

	SILJ	BTC-USD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-79.04%	-85.30%	+6.26%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-34.71%	-49.65%	+14.94%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-56.09%	-76.67%	+20.58%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-70.06%	-83.80%	+13.74%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-23.55%	-45.02%	+21.47%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-41.66%	-41.99%	+0.33%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	10.25%	27.60%	-17.35%

Volatility

SILJ vs. BTC-USD - Volatility Comparison

ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) has a higher volatility of 20.08% compared to Bitcoin (BTC-USD) at 13.58%. This indicates that SILJ's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BTC-USD based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SILJ	BTC-USD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	20.08%	13.58%	+6.50%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	46.92%	35.98%	+10.94%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	55.05%	36.76%	+18.29%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	44.06%	46.90%	-2.84%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	46.61%	56.70%	-10.09%