🏆Gold Rush 2.0: How Miners ETFs Are Crushing 2025

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While many investors were grappling with disappointing portfolio updates in early 2025, those holding gold miners ETFs were celebrating. These funds have turned a once "boring" sector into one of the year's most exciting investment themes.

If you're curious about joining this golden opportunity, grab your favourite beverage and let's explore why gold miners ETFs are thriving and whether this trend can continue into 2025 and beyond. As always, we will have a list of the ETFs in this area.

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Why Gold Miners ETFs?

Investing in gold often brings to mind the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), which represent ownership of the metal itself. However, gold miner ETFs can provide a more dynamic opportunity. While a 10% rise in gold prices typically leads to a similar increase in GLD, gold mining companies can see their profits jump significantly due to fixed costs. This leverage means that losses can also be greater if gold prices fall, making gold miner ETFs more volatile and suitable for investors seeking amplified exposure to gold's movements. Recently, miners have benefited from increased production and improved cash flows, and they are now well-positioned to take advantage of higher gold prices after years of cost-cutting and operational improvements.

Gold miners ETFs have become top performers in 2025, outshining traditional growth sectors with many large mining stocks rising 20% to 30% year-to-date. This impressive performance is driven by rising gold prices, enhanced operational efficiency, and an initially undervalued sector. As investors braced for economic uncertainty, gold miners gained traction by offering exposure to a sought-after asset. Their geographic diversification, primarily in Canada, the United States, and Australia, provides global access to gold production while reducing concentration in any single market.

2025 has been impressive for gold miners, and the outlook for the rest of the year and into 2026 appears even more promising, with forecasts from major financial institutions remaining optimistic:

• 🏦Central Bank Appetite: Central banks are expected to purchase around 900 tonnes of gold in 2025, continuing a structural shift that began after geopolitical events highlighted the risks of dollar-denominated reserves. This represents consistent, predictable demand that provides a floor under gold prices.

• 🛡️Policy Uncertainty and Safe Haven Demand: Trade uncertainty and geopolitical risks have driven gold to fresh highs in 2025, and these factors show no signs of abating. Whether it's concerns about inflation, trade tensions, or broader economic uncertainty, gold continues to play its traditional role as a hedge against portfolio risk.

• 📈ETF and Institutional Interest: A further expansion in investor holdings, particularly from ETFs and Institutional Investors, is expected. As more institutional investors recognise the portfolio benefits of gold, demand from this sector could accelerate.

💰Top Gold Miners ETFs

Now that we've established why gold miners ETFs deserve your attention, let's meet the main players in this space. Each brings something different to the table, so understanding their unique characteristics will help you find the right fit for your portfolio:

1. VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX)

Expense Ratio: 0.51%

Provider: VanEck

YTD Performance: 49.37%

Covered by ETFUNO already, $GDX ( ▼ 0.95% ) is by far the most followed name in gold and silver mining ETFs, with nearly $17 billion in assets under management. It focuses on major, established mining companies like Newmont and Barrick Gold, which have operations worldwide and tend to be less volatile than their smaller counterparts.

2. iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING)

Expense Ratio: 0.39%

Provider: iShares(BlackRock)

YTD Performance: 60.57%

$RING ( ▼ 0.67% ) is the globetrotter of the group, offering lower expense ratios (0.39%) compared to competitors and providing diversified exposure to gold mining companies worldwide through its MSCI index methodology, making it an attractive option for cost-conscious investors seeking international mining exposure.

3. Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM)

Expense Ratio: 0.50%

Provider: Sprott

YTD Performance: 55.39%

$SGDM ( ▼ 0.63% ) takes a more patriotic approach, focusing on stocks located in Canada and the U.S. that generate over 50% of their revenue from gold, employing a rules-based methodology that prioritises larger-sized gold companies with the highest revenue growth, free cash flow yield, and the lowest long-term debt-to-equity ratio.

4. VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ)

Expense Ratio: 0.51%

Provider: VanEck

YTD Performance: 52.80%

If GDX is the steady captain, $GDXJ ( ▼ 1.28% ) is the ambitious rookie with huge upside potential – the ETF comprises 92 smaller gold mining companies that generate, or have the potential to develop, 50% or more of their revenue from gold and silver mining, often focusing heavily on exploration which gives these companies significant upside potential but also increases risk.

5. Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF (SGDJ)

Expense Ratio: 0.50%

Provider: Sprott

YTD Performance: 47.55%

$SGDJ ( ▲ 0.73% ) rounds out the line-up as the junior miners specialist, with holdings that must have a market capitalisation between $200 million and $2 billion to be included, providing exposure to smaller North American miners with growth potential while maintaining some size requirements for stability.

Riding the Gold Miners Wave✨

These ETFs offer different types of gold mining exposure. "Major" miners like GDX, RING, and SGDM are generally more stable, while "junior" miners such as GDXJ and SGDJ offer greater growth potential but with higher volatility. Choose based on your risk tolerance and desired excitement level in gold investments.

As we wrap up this weekend's reading, it's clear that gold miners ETFs could be one of the success stories of 2025. They blend the appeal of gold with the growth potential of well-managed mining operations. With institutions predicting stronger gold prices, this sector is a solid choice for diversified portfolios.

Whether you opt for the stability of GDX or RING, the focused approach of Sprott funds, or the higher-risk potential of junior miners like GDXJ or SGDJ, you're tapping into a sector with strong current performance and a positive outlook.

Favorable supply and demand, central bank purchases, geopolitical uncertainties, and improved mining operations are set to support gold and mining stocks. While risks exist, the fundamentals appear strong. Successful ETF investing means identifying enduring trends, and the gold mining sector offers promising opportunities worth monitoring.

Ready to dig deeper into ETF investing insights and stay ahead of market trends? Join the ETF UNO community today for more valuable analysis, timely market updates, and expert perspectives that help you make informed investment decisions. Because when it comes to ETF investing, knowledge truly is golden.

DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting with a financial advisor before making investment decisions.