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Data as of .

GDXJ vs GOAU: which is really different?

GDXJ and GOAU hold 26% of their weight in the same names, and GDXJ returned more over the year.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF and US Global GO Gold and Precious Metal Miners ETF.

0.0%GDXJ in the S&P 500
2.9%GOAU in the S&P 500
+45.2%GDXJ total return, 1 year
+31.8%GOAU total return, 1 year

ETFIQ Off-Index Score: GDXJ scores higher

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

GDXJ 91.8GOAU 77.70.1, 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

GDXJ100% 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 42% of the fund · 157 holdings filed Sep 17, 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 42% of the fund
GOAU97% of its weight is outside the S&P 500 · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
3%97%3% of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 56% of the fund · 29 holdings filed Jun 30, 2026 · Nasdaq-100: 0% in3%97%3% of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 56% of the fund

26% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, GDXJ and GOAU hold 26% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions GDXJ and GOAU both hold, largest shared weight first
HoldingGDXJGOAU
Endeavour Mining Plc5.64%3.89%
Iamgold Corp5.14%2.98%
Harmony Gold Mining Co Ltd1.65%4.05%
Perseus Mining Ltd1.22%2.08%
Or Royalties Inc1.15%9.78%
K92 Mining Inc1.08%1.99%
Ramelius Resources Ltd1.07%2.02%
Capricorn Metals Ltd0.96%3.38%
Genesis Minerals Ltd0.94%3.27%
Aya Gold & Silver Inc0.90%4.12%
Pan African Resources Plc0.81%2.75%
Fortuna Silver Mines Inc0.77%3.90%
Only in each
Only in GDXJOnly in GOAU
Coeur Mining Inc 6.84%Franco-Nevada Corp 10.16%
Alamos Gold Inc 6.53%Wheaton Precious Metals Corp 9.72%
Equinox Gold Corp 6.04%Evolution Mining Ltd 3.20%
Industrias Penoles Sab De Cv 2.59%Newmont Corp 2.88%
Hecla Mining Co 2.43%Pan American Silver Corp 2.86%
First Majestic Silver Corp 2.39%DPM Metals Inc 2.08%
G Mining Ventures Corp 1.90%
Lundin Gold Inc 1.76%

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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.

Performance, window by window

GDXJ and GOAU over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnvs the S&P 500vs the Nasdaq-100
GDXJGOAUGDXJGOAUGDXJGOAU
3 months+16.1%+16.8%+13.8 pts+14.5 pts+18.5 pts+19.3 pts
6 months+18.8%+21.8%+0.7 pts+3.8 pts−5.5 pts−2.4 pts
1 year+45.2%+31.8%+28.7 pts+15.3 pts+23.5 pts+10.1 pts
3 years+274.9%+208.7%+196.5 pts+130.3 pts+176.7 pts+110.5 pts
Since launch+64.0%+324.3%−739.5 pts+63.3 pts−1626.2 pts−123.0 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
GDXJ and GOAU on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GDXJ
VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF
Holds 157 stocks in gold miners, 0% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
GOAU
US Global GO Gold and Precious Metal Miners ETF
Holds 29 stocks in miners and metals, 3% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
IssuerVanEckU.S. Global
ThemeGold minersMiners and metals
In the S&P 5000.0%2.9%
Active share vs the S&P 500100.0%99.8%
In the Nasdaq-1000.0%0.0%
Holdings15729
Top ten, share of the fund41.6%56.1%
Expense ratio0.52%0.60%
Fee for the differing part0.52%0.60%
Total return, 1 year+45.2%+31.8%
vs the S&P 500+28.7 pts+15.3 pts
vs the Nasdaq-100+23.5 pts+10.1 pts
Below its high−20.3%−16.1%
Net assets$9.2bn$165m

GDXJ in plain words

By weight, 0% of GDXJ'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 42% of the fund across 157 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +45.2% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 28.7 pts. It sits 20.3% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.

GOAU in plain words

By weight, 3% of GOAU'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 56% of the fund across 29 positions, as filed for Jun 30, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +31.8% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 15.3 pts. It sits 16.1% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.

Questions people ask

Do GDXJ and GOAU hold the same stocks?
By their latest filings, 26% of their books are the same securities at the same weight, which is a meaningful overlap. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
Which is more different from the S&P 500, GDXJ or GOAU?
GDXJ has 0% of its weight in S&P 500 names and GOAU has 3%, so GDXJ differs more from the index.
Which is cheaper, GDXJ or GOAU?
GDXJ charges 0.52% a year and GOAU charges 0.60%, so GDXJ 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.

GDXJ against GOAU, 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, GDXJ against GOAU, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/gdxj-vs-goau Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources