Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
GDXJ vs IDEF: Holdings Overlap & Returns
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GDXJ returned +14.8% to IDEF's −5.7%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $7.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF, and $3.7bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Defense Industrials and Tech Active ETF.
0% of GDXJ's weight is in S&P 500 companies and 100% is outside the index. Holdings as of Oct 22, 2026.
43% of IDEF's weight is in S&P 500 companies and 58% is outside the index. Holdings as of Oct 27, 2026.
Pair scorecard
GDXJ costs 0.03 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 20.5 points; GDXJ is 2.1 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | GDXJ | IDEF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.8% | −5.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 33.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | 17.0%, high on Mar 2, 2026 |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Gold miners | Defense |
| Its benchmark, total return, 1 year | +13.4% | |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | ahead by 1.4 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.52% | 0.55% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $7.6bn | $3.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 30, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 73 weekly returnsGDXJ returned more: +55.5% to +14.9%. IDEF swung less: 22.4% to 52.1%. IDEF fell less at its worst: −17.1% to −41.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | GDXJ | IDEF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +55.5% | +14.9% | GDXJ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +36.9% | +10.4% | GDXJ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +52.1% | +14.5% | GDXJ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 52.1% | 22.4% | IDEF | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 33.9% | 14.7% | IDEF | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −41.0% | −17.1% | IDEF | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.79 | 0.38 | GDXJ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.21 | 0.58 | GDXJ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.90 | 0.61 | GDXJ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 73 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, GDXJ and IDEF 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 ↓
Window by window
| Total return | vs its benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | GDXJ | IDEF | GDXJ | IDEF |
| 3 months | +9.9% | −3.0% | +5.5 pts vs ACWI | not measured |
| 6 months | −8.0% | −5.8% | −15.4 pts vs ACWI | not measured |
| 1 year | +14.8% | −5.7% | +1.4 pts vs ACWI | not measured |
| 3 years | +220.2% | – | +131.3 pts vs ACWI | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: GDXJ Nov 2009 · IDEF May 2025 | +44.9% | +22.1% | not measured | not measured |
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Side by side
As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
0% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.
GDXJ and IDEF are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- Theme. GDXJ covers Gold miners and IDEF covers Defense.
- What each follows. GDXJ follows Gold miners and IDEF follows Defense.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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GDXJ
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 41% of the fund across 156 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +14.8% with distributions reinvested against +13.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI Index, so a holder was ahead by 1.4 pts. It sits 33.1% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.
IDEF
By weight, 42% of IDEF's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 92%. The top ten holdings are 37% of the fund across 155 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −5.7% with distributions reinvested. It sits 17.0% below its all-time high of Mar 2, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Do GDXJ and IDEF hold the same stocks?
- By their latest filings, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
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.
Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
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ETFIQ, GDXJ against IDEF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/gdxj-vs-idef
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). GDXJ against IDEF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/gdxj-vs-idef
[GDXJ against IDEF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/gdxj-vs-idef)
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