Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EWY vs GDX: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EWY returned +79.7% to GDX's +19.0%, and GDX charges 0.51% to EWY's 0.59%.
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Net assets: $24.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI South Korea ETF, and $25.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for VanEck Gold Miners ETF.
Pair scorecard
GDX costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 60.7 points; GDX is 1.1 times larger.
| Measure | EWY | GDX |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +79.7% | +19.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 24.3%, high on Jun 18, 2026 | |
| Below its all-time high | 27.5%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Korea 25/50 Daily 25 Capped Index | Gold miners |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | ahead by 5.6 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.59% | 0.51% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 23, 2026 | $22.2bn | $24.7bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 100% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 60.9% | 60% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EWY 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
EWY and GDX on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EWY
EWY tracks the MSCI South Korea. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +79.7% with distributions reinvested, against +16.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.59% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 78 positions, with the top ten at 60.9%. It sat 24.3% below its high of Jun 18, 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 EWY and GDX in the same category?
- EWY 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, EWY or GDX?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWY returned +79.7% and GDX +19.0%.
- Which is cheaper, EWY or GDX?
- GDX is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, EWY against GDX, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewy-vs-gdx
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EWY against GDX. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewy-vs-gdx
[EWY against GDX (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewy-vs-gdx)
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