Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DIA vs GDX: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DIA returned +11.6% to GDX's +19.0%, and DIA charges 0.16% to GDX's 0.51%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $45.9bn for SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust and $25.6bn for VanEck Gold Miners ETF.
Pair scorecard
DIA costs 0.35 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.4 points; DIA is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | DIA | GDX |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.6% | +19.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.0%, high on Aug 5, 2026 | |
| Below its all-time high | 27.5%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones Industrial Average | Gold miners |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | ahead by 5.6 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.16% | 0.51% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $45.9bn | $25.6bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 100% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 54.7% | 60% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 2, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,064 weekly returnsDIA returned more: +625.3% to +148.2%. DIA swung less: 17.2% to 38.4%. DIA fell less at its worst: −50.9% to −79.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DIA | GDX | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +625.3% | +148.2% | DIA | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.2% | +4.5% | DIA | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +364.0% | +105.0% | DIA | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.2% | 38.4% | DIA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.2% | 26.4% | DIA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −50.9% | −79.2% | DIA | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.55 | 0.27 | DIA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.78 | 0.38 | DIA | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.20 | 0.06 | DIA | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,064 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DIA and GDX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DIA and GDX on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DIA and GDX do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. DIA follows Dow Jones Industrial Average and GDX follows Gold miners.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DIA returned +11.6% and GDX +19.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.4 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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DIA
DIA tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +11.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 30 positions, with the top ten at 54.7%. It sat 3.0% below its high of Aug 5, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
GDX
By weight, 12% of GDX's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 60% of the fund across 59 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +19.0% with distributions reinvested against +13.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI Index, so a holder was ahead by 5.6 pts. It sits 27.5% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are DIA and GDX in the same category?
- DIA is a stock ETF and GDX is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, DIA or GDX?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DIA returned +11.6% and GDX +19.0%.
- Which is cheaper, DIA or GDX?
- DIA is cheaper, by 0.35 percentage points a year. That is about $35 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, DIA against GDX, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-gdx
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DIA against GDX. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-gdx
[DIA against GDX (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-gdx)
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