SILJ vs. OUNZ

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

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

SILJ and OUNZ are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. 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. 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. Both SILJ and OUNZ 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

SILJ vs. OUNZ - Performance Comparison

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

SILJ vs. OUNZ - 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%
OUNZ VanEck Merk Gold Trust	10.51%	63.95%	26.75%	12.83%	-0.51%	-4.00%	24.71%	18.00%	-2.06%	12.82%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, SILJ achieves a 11.35% return, which is significantly higher than OUNZ's 10.51% return. Over the past 10 years, SILJ has outperformed OUNZ with an annualized return of 15.15%, while OUNZ has yielded a comparatively lower 14.20% 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%

OUNZ

• 1D: 1.75%
• 1M: -10.64%
• YTD: 10.51%
• 6M: 23.09%
• 1Y: 52.39%
• 3Y*: 33.89%
• 5Y*: 22.16%
• 10Y*: 14.20%

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

SILJ vs. OUNZ - Expense Ratio Comparison

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

SILJ

ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF

OUNZ

VanEck Merk Gold Trust

Return for Risk

SILJ vs. OUNZ — 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

OUNZ

OUNZ Risk / Return Rank: 86
OUNZ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 88
OUNZ Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
OUNZ Omega Ratio Rank: 85
OUNZ Calmar Ratio Rank: 86
OUNZ Martin Ratio Rank: 84

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. OUNZ - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) and VanEck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ). 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	OUNZ	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.98	1.91	+1.08
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.97	2.33	+0.63
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.42	1.35	+0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	4.58	2.72	+1.86
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	15.52	9.98	+5.54
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. OUNZ - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SILJ Sharpe Ratio is 2.98, which is higher than the OUNZ Sharpe Ratio of 1.91. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SILJ and OUNZ, 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	OUNZ	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.98	1.91	+1.08
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.40	1.26	-0.86
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.33	0.90	-0.57
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.10	0.71	-0.62

Correlation

The correlation between SILJ and OUNZ 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

SILJ vs. OUNZ - Dividend Comparison

SILJ's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.80%, while OUNZ has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
SILJ ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF	1.80%	2.00%	7.26%	0.01%	0.05%	0.36%	1.23%	1.45%	1.66%	0.00%	0.52%	2.46%
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%

Drawdowns

SILJ vs. OUNZ - Drawdown Comparison

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

Drawdown Indicators

	SILJ	OUNZ	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-79.04%	-21.77%	-57.27%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-34.71%	-19.14%	-15.57%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-56.09%	-21.01%	-35.08%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-70.06%	-21.76%	-48.30%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-23.55%	-11.66%	-11.89%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-41.66%	-7.48%	-34.18%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	10.25%	5.22%	+5.03%

Volatility

SILJ vs. OUNZ - Volatility Comparison

ETFMG Prime Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ) has a higher volatility of 20.08% compared to VanEck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ) at 10.39%. This indicates that SILJ's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than OUNZ based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	SILJ	OUNZ	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	20.08%	10.39%	+9.69%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	46.92%	24.13%	+22.79%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	55.05%	27.61%	+27.44%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	44.06%	17.66%	+26.40%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	46.61%	15.89%	+30.72%