Precious Metals Plays: GDX Offers Broader Exposure and Less Volatility Than SLVP | The Motley Fool

Both iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF ( SLVP +2.95%) and VanEck Gold Miners ETF ( GDX +1.77%) offer exposure to precious metals miners, but their approaches and portfolios set them apart. SLVP is a narrower, silver-centric exchange-traded fund (ETF), while GDX provides broader access to global gold miners. This comparison looks at cost, performance, risk, portfolio makeup, and trading details to help investors see which may better fit their objectives. Snapshot (cost & size) Metric SLVP GDX Issuer IShares VanEck Expense ratio 0.39% 0.51% 1-yr return (as of Dec. 16, 2025) 158.6% 132.9% Dividend yield 0.4% 0.5% Beta 1.11 0.87 AUM $816.5 million $27.01 billion Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year weekly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Performance & risk comparison Metric SLVP GDX Max drawdown (5 y) (56.22%) (46.52%) Growth of $1,000 over 5 years $2,208 $2,555 What's inside GDX is built for investors seeking exposure to global gold mining companies. It tracks a broad index of 55 holdings, including Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd , Newmont Corp , and Barrick Mining Corp , with its entire portfolio in basic materials. The fund’s nearly 20-year history and large assets under management (AUM) help support high liquidity and tight trading spreads. NYSEMKT: GDX Key Data Points SLVP, by contrast, holds 41 companies and leans heavily into silver and diversified metals miners, with basic materials making up 88% of assets. Its largest positions are Hecla Mining , Indust Penoles , and Fresnillo Plc . It is smaller and more concentrated, and offers a slightly different metals exposure profile. For more guidance on ETF investing, check out the full guide at this link . NYSEMKT: SLVP Key Data Points What this means for investors The VanEck Gold Miners ETF stands out for its broader portfolio and larger assets under management -- more than 33 times the assets of the iShares Silver and Metals Miners ETF. Its beta of 0.87 is also notable. Beta measures a stock's volatility relative to the market, usually using the S&P 500 as a benchmark. GDX's beta under 1 means the ETF is less volatile than the general market. This is often an argument for investing in the precious metals space, particularly gold, which is still considered a standard store of value. With the market being propelled higher by exciting tech stories in the last few years, and increasing economic and market uncertainty, parking some of your money in gold-related investments could prove to be a useful hedge against big swings. Silver tends to be a more volatile investment due to the metal's industrial uses in things like electronics. It's performed better than GDX over the last year, perhaps due to the same tech-driven narrative that has lifted much of the market. However, over a five-year stretch, GDX leads SLVP in total returns, despite its slightly higher expense ratio. Both of these ETFs also offer investors a bit of international exposure,...

Preview: ~500 words