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Data as of .

GDX vs NIKL: which is really different?

GDX and NIKL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and GDX returned more over the year.

VanEck Gold Miners ETF and Sprott Nickel Miners ETF.

10.9%GDX in the S&P 500
0.0%NIKL in the S&P 500
+39.8%GDX total return, 1 year
+10.8%NIKL total return, 1 year

ETFIQ Off-Index Score: NIKL scores higher

How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?

GDX 77.7NIKL 91.80.1, the lowest in this set91.8, the highest

A percentile among the 379 thematic ETFs with a holdings filing. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All thematic ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed

GDX89% of its weight is outside the S&P 500 · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
11%89%inof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 59% of the fund · 59 holdings filed Sep 17, 2026 · Nasdaq-100: 0% in11%89%inof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 59% of the fund
NIKL100% of its weight is outside the S&P 500 · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
0%100%0% of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 74% of the fund · 26 holdings filed Sep 18, 2026 · Nasdaq-100: 0% in0%100%0% of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 74% of the fund

0% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, GDX and NIKL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Only in each
Only in GDXOnly in NIKL
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd 10.99%ANTAM Persero Tbk PT 14.86%
Newmont Corp 10.88%Nickel Industries Ltd. 11.93%
Barrick Mining Corp 7.75%Merdeka Battery Materials Tbk PT 11.52%
Wheaton Precious Metals Corp 5.74%IGO Ltd. 8.25%
Franco-Nevada Corp 5.22%Talon Metals Corp. 6.48%
Anglogold Ashanti Plc 4.96%Vale Indonesia Tbk PT 4.75%
Kinross Gold Corp 4.12%Trimegah Bangun Persada Tbk PT 4.62%
Gold Fields Ltd 4.11%Sunrise Energy Metals Ltd. 4.24%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 18, 2026.

Performance, window by window

GDX and NIKL over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnvs the S&P 500vs the Nasdaq-100
GDXNIKLGDXNIKLGDXNIKL
3 months+15.7%+0.7%+13.5 pts−1.6 pts+18.2 pts+3.1 pts
6 months+19.2%−1.4%+1.1 pts−19.4 pts−5.1 pts−25.6 pts
1 year+39.8%+10.8%+23.2 pts−5.8 pts+18.0 pts−11.0 pts
3 years+236.3%−7.1%+157.8 pts−85.5 pts+138.1 pts−105.3 pts
Since launch+133.2%−12.2%−670.3 pts−115.1 pts−1557.0 pts−152.3 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
GDX and NIKL on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GDX
VanEck Gold Miners ETF
Holds 59 stocks in gold miners, 11% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
NIKL
Sprott Nickel Miners ETF
Holds 26 stocks in miners and metals, 0% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
IssuerVanEckSprott
ThemeGold minersMiners and metals
In the S&P 50010.9%0.0%
Active share vs the S&P 50099.8%100.0%
In the Nasdaq-1000.0%0.0%
Holdings5926
Top ten, share of the fund58.5%74.4%
Expense ratio0.51%0.75%
Fee for the differing part0.51%0.75%
Total return, 1 year+39.8%+10.8%
vs the S&P 500+23.2 pts−5.8 pts
vs the Nasdaq-100+18.0 pts−11.0 pts
Below its high−17.6%−30.3%
Net assets$28.4bn$57m

GDX in plain words

By weight, 11% 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 58% of the fund across 59 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +39.8% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 23.2 pts. It sits 17.6% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.

NIKL in plain words

By weight, 0% of NIKL'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 74% of the fund across 26 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +10.8% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 5.8 pts. It sits 30.3% below its all-time high of Jan 26, 2026.

Questions people ask

Do GDX and NIKL hold the same stocks?
By their latest filings, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight, which is mostly different names. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
Which is more different from the S&P 500, GDX or NIKL?
GDX has 11% of its weight in S&P 500 names and NIKL has 0%, so NIKL differs more from the index.
Which is cheaper, GDX or NIKL?
GDX charges 0.51% a year and NIKL charges 0.75%, so GDX is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

GDX against NIKL, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, GDX against NIKL, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/gdx-vs-nikl Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources