Top 10 Performing Gold ETFs

**Key takeaway:** Over the past 12 months, leveraged gold-miner products have vastly out-performed traditional “plain vanilla” gold ETFs. MicroSectors Gold Miners 3× Leveraged ETNs (GDXU) tops the list with a staggering 589 % return, while the best-performing un-leveraged broad-based fund is iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF (RING) at ~126 %. Below is the current top-10 leaderboard: | Rank | Ticker | ETF Name | 1-Year Total Return* | Expense Ratio | AUM (USD) | |------|--------|----------|----------------------|---------------|-----------| | 1 | **GDXU** | MicroSectors Gold Miners 3× Leveraged ETNs | **588.5 %** | 0.95 % | 1.27 B | | 2 | **NUGT** | Direxion Daily Gold Miners 2× | 316.2 % | 1.13 % | 0.85 B | | 3 | **JNUG** | Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners 2× | 312.7 % | 1.02 % | 0.44 B | | 4 | **GDMN** | WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners | 168.5 % | 0.45 % | 0.10 B | | 5 | **SHNY** | MicroSectors Gold 3× Leveraged ETNs | 133.8 % | 0.95 % | 0.09 B | | 6 | **RING** | iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners | 125.8 % | 0.39 % | 2.11 B | | 7 | **GOEX** | Global X Gold Explorers | 124.1 % | 0.65 % | 0.10 B | | 8 | **AUMI** | Themes Gold Miners | 122.8 % | 0.35 % | 0.02 B | | 9 | **GDXJ** | VanEck Junior Gold Miners | 122.2 % | 0.51 % | 7.35 B | | 10 | **GDX** | VanEck Gold Miners | 118.9 % | 0.51 % | 19.96 B | \*“1-Year Total Return” corresponds to the “Yearly Percentage Change[2025-09-23]” field in the screener output. ### What this means for investors 🤔 1. **Leverage dominates performance.** The top three funds are 2×–3× leveraged products tracking gold-miner indices. While eye-popping on the upside, they can just as quickly magnify losses if gold prices stumble. Tight risk management is essential. 2. **Pure-play miners vs. mixed exposure.** GDMN blends physical gold and miners—offering a middle ground between bullion and high-beta equities. 3. **Core holdings:** Traditional, un-leveraged funds (RING, GDXJ, GDX) still post triple-digit gains, suggesting broad sector strength, but with far lower daily volatility than leveraged ETNs. 4. **Costs & scale:** Expense ratios range from 0.35 % (AUMI) to 1.13 % (NUGT). Larger AUM often signals better liquidity; GDX and GDXJ dominate here. ⚠️ **Caution:** Leveraged ETNs (GDXU, SHNY) are debt instruments—credit risk and daily reset drag apply. They work best for short tactical trades, not long-term holds. --- Curious mind → **Which side of the gold market interests you more going forward—high-octane leveraged trades or steadier, un-leveraged exposure?** 🎯