Impact-Site-Verification: 0eedbe8d-4e05-4893-8456-85377301e322

Stock · Trading days

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ)

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's performance and risk profile read through S&P 500.

Last updated:

Gale Finance Team
Written by Gale Finance Team
Sid Kalla
Reviewed by Sid Kalla CFA Charterholder
Quick Answer

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's risk, return, and volatility like?

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF returned +124.5% over the 1Y window. On the 5Y lens, Sharpe ratio is 0.61, annualized volatility is 40.8%, and max drawdown is -51.8%.

Total Return
1Y +124.5%
5Y +183.8%
Sharpe Ratio
1Y 1.83
5Y 0.61
Annualized Volatility
1Y 48.8%
5Y 40.8%
Max Drawdown
1Y -32.9%
5Y -51.8%

Trade GDXJ

Access this asset on trusted platforms.

Hyperliquid
Trade perpetual futures exposure where supportedGDXJTrade on Hyperliquid
Binance
Trade futures exposure on a global exchange where supportedGDXJTrade on Binance

Affiliate disclosure

Price history

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF price over the past 5Y

Track VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's standalone price path with macro and asset-specific events enabled by default.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF price over the past 5Y

GDXJ
7 events in this period
Show events
Latest close $129.87 Data through 2026-05-12
5Y low $24.61 Window low
5Y high $156.19 Window high

Key takeaways

  • Total Return: GDXJ returned +124.5% over the 1Y window and +183.8% over the 5Y window ; annualized return over 5Y was +23.2%.
  • Risk-adjusted return: Sharpe was 0.61 and Sortino was 0.89 over 5Y. Sharpe counts total volatility; Sortino focuses on downside volatility.
  • Volatility & drawdown: Annualized volatility was 48.8% over 1Y and 40.8% over 5Y ; max drawdown was -32.9% over 1Y and -51.8% over 5Y .
  • Tail risk (Expected Shortfall): Over 5Y, daily VaR (5%) was -4.1% and Expected Shortfall was -5.9%. VaR is the cutoff; Expected Shortfall is the average move inside the worst 5% of daily returns.
  • Skew & kurtosis: Over 5Y, skew was -0.29 and excess kurtosis was 1.85. Skew shows return asymmetry; excess kurtosis shows how fat the tails were versus a Normal distribution.
  • Risk ratios: Sortino Ratio: 0.89 , Calmar Ratio: 0.45 , Sterling Ratio: 0.78 , Treynor Ratio: 0.30 , Ulcer Index: 25.00% .

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Drawdown

GDXJ 1Y Max Drawdown
↓ -32.9%
2026-02-27 to 2026-03-20
GDXJ 5Y Max Drawdown
↓ -51.8%
2021-06-02 to 2022-09-26

Max drawdown shows the deepest peak-to-trough decline VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF suffered in each research window. 1Y: -32.9%; 5Y: -51.8%.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF is currently -16.9% below its prior peak, with the high-water mark at $156.19. 5Y low is $24.61.

GDXJ underwater plot (5Y). Zero means at a prior peak; dips show how far below peak the close was on each day. Deepest trough: -51.8% on Sep 26, 2022.
-51.8% 2021-05-13 2026-05-12 0% -52%

5Y drawdown episodes

#1
-51.8% Jun 2, 2021 to Sep 26, 2022
Recovered Oct 18, 2024 1234 total days
#2
-32.9% Feb 27, 2026 to Mar 20, 2026
Not yet recovered 74 total days
#3
-21.6% Oct 16, 2025 to Nov 4, 2025
Recovered Dec 11, 2025 56 total days

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Volatility

GDXJ 1Y Volatility
48.8%
Annualized daily closes
GDXJ 5Y Volatility
40.8%
Annualized daily closes

Volatility VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's annualized volatility shows how widely daily closes moved over 1Y and 5Y. Higher values mean a noisier path, not automatically a better or worse investment. 1Y: 48.8%; 5Y: 40.8%.

Benchmark context

Where GDXJ fits relative to other lenses

Benchmark links are secondary on this page. Use them when you want to place the asset against a specific market, factor, or historical counterpart.

Default benchmark

S&P 500

SPY

Broad equity benchmark

1Y return
↑ +26.9%
GDXJ minus SPY
↑ +96.9%
Correlation
0.30
1Y
GDXJ vs SPY average correlation
Moderately linked
0.30
QQQ

Nasdaq 100

Corr 0.31

Growth and tech benchmark

1Y return +37.7%
GDXJ minus QQQ +86.1%
BTC

Bitcoin

Corr 0.15

Cross-asset crypto benchmark

1Y return -22.0%
GDXJ minus BTC +145.8%
XAU

Gold

Corr 0.81

Store-of-value benchmark

1Y return +45.1%
GDXJ minus XAU +78.7%
Compare GDXJ vs XAU

Risk-adjusted ratios

These ratios compare return against different definitions of risk: total volatility, downside volatility, drawdowns, benchmark beta, and time spent underwater.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Sharpe Ratio

GDXJ 1Y Sharpe ratio
↑ 1.83
Recent window
GDXJ 5Y Sharpe ratio
↑ 0.61
Deeper research window

GDXJ Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Return per total volatility

The dot sits at (VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's annualized volatility, its excess annualized return). The slope from the origin to the dot is the Sharpe ratio — steeper means the asset converted risk into return more efficiently.

Higher is better
Excess return Annualized volatility 0 50% vol 40.8% · excess +25.1%
excess annualized return / total volatility
Formula Sharpe=E[R]−RfσR\displaystyle \mathrm{Sharpe} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_R}

Sharpe ratio VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Sharpe ratio measures excess return per unit of total volatility. Higher readings mean the asset converted risk into return more efficiently over the same window. 1Y: 1.83; 5Y: 0.61.

A Sharpe above 1.0 is generally considered good, above 2.0 is excellent. Negative Sharpe means the asset underperformed the risk-free rate. Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Sortino Ratio

GDXJ 1Y Sortino ratio
↑ 2.58
Recent window
GDXJ 5Y Sortino ratio
↑ 0.89
Deeper research window

GDXJ Sortino Ratio (5Y)

Return per downside volatility

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's daily-return distribution over the long window. Days left of the target line are the only ones Sortino penalizes in the denominator — so a distribution with a fat left tail produces a smaller Sortino even at the same mean return.

Higher is better
Frequency (days) Daily return (%) target -14.6% +11.6% 174 0
excess annualized return / downside volatility
Formula Sortino=E[R]−Rfσdown\displaystyle \mathrm{Sortino} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\sigma_{\mathrm{down}}}

Sortino ratio VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Sortino ratio isolates downside volatility instead of all volatility. It is the cleaner lens when you care more about bad downside moves than upside noise. 1Y: 2.58; 5Y: 0.89.

A higher Sortino is better. It's useful when upside volatility is common (crypto is the obvious example). Calculated on each asset's full 365-day lookback of available prices, using the daily risk-free rate as the target return, and annualized using the asset calendar (365 for crypto, 252 trading days for equities/ETFs/metals).

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Calmar Ratio

GDXJ 1Y Calmar ratio
↑ 3.79
Recent window
GDXJ 5Y Calmar ratio
↑ 0.45
Deeper research window

GDXJ Calmar Ratio (5Y)

CAGR per worst drawdown

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's CAGR bar sits above zero, the max drawdown bar sits below. Calmar is the ratio of those two magnitudes — a shallow drawdown bar with a tall CAGR bar produces a strong Calmar.

Higher is better
0% GDXJ 5Y +23.2% -51.8%
CAGR / max drawdown
Formula Calmar=CAGR∣MaxDD∣\displaystyle \mathrm{Calmar} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR}}{|\mathrm{MaxDD}|}

Calmar ratio VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Calmar ratio measures return per unit of max drawdown. It is useful when the path of losses matters as much as the final return. 1Y: 3.79; 5Y: 0.45.

Calmar is computed on each asset's full 365-day lookback and uses the max drawdown over that same window.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Sterling Ratio

GDXJ 1Y Sterling ratio
↑ 4.89
Recent window
GDXJ 5Y Sterling ratio
↑ 0.78
Deeper research window

GDXJ Sterling Ratio (5Y)

Return per average drawdown

The underwater curve shows VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's drawdowns over the long window. Sterling averages every event deeper than the 10% threshold instead of taking only the worst one — so an asset with many mid-size drawdowns scores worse here than on Calmar.

Higher is better
0% -14% -27% -41% -54% 10% drawdown threshold
excess CAGR / average deep drawdown
Formula Sterling=CAGR−RfD‾>10%\displaystyle \mathrm{Sterling} = \frac{\mathrm{CAGR} - R_f}{\overline{D}_{>10\%}}

Sterling ratio VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Sterling ratio compares return against deep drawdown pressure. It gives a harsher read on assets that compound well but suffer ugly declines along the way. 1Y: 4.89; 5Y: 0.78.

Sterling uses average drawdown events deeper than 10% and subtracts the risk-free rate to report excess return.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Ulcer Index

GDXJ 1Y Ulcer Index
11.57
Recent window
GDXJ 5Y Ulcer Index
25.00
Deeper research window

GDXJ Ulcer Index (5Y)

Drawdown pain

The underwater curve shows how deep and how long VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's drawdowns were. Ulcer is the root-mean-square of that curve — both depth and persistence count, so lower is better.

Lower is better
0% -14% -27% -41% -54%
root-mean-square drawdown
Formula UI=E[Dt2]\displaystyle \mathrm{UI} = \sqrt{\mathbb{E}[D_t^2]}

Ulcer Index VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Ulcer Index measures both the depth and persistence of drawdowns. Lower is better because it means fewer and shallower underwater periods. 1Y: 11.57; 5Y: 25.00.

Ulcer Index is computed from each asset's drawdown series over the full lookback window.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Treynor Ratio

GDXJ 1Y Treynor
↑ 0.64
Beta 1.40 vs SPY
GDXJ 5Y Treynor
↑ 0.30
Beta 0.83 vs SPY

GDXJ Treynor Ratio (5Y)

Excess return per beta vs SPY

The line's slope is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's beta to SPY — steeper means more market-sensitive. Treynor divides excess return by that slope, so an asset can look efficient with a shallow beta and a small return, or inefficient with a steep beta and a big return.

Higher is better
Asset return Market return 0 0 β 0.83
excess return / market beta
Formula Treynor=E[R]−Rfβ\displaystyle \mathrm{Treynor} = \frac{\mathbb{E}[R] - R_f}{\beta}

Treynor ratio measures excess return per unit of market beta versus SPY. A high Treynor means the asset compensated its market exposure well over this window. A low or negative Treynor means the asset's market risk wasn't rewarded.

Treynor uses beta vs the S&P 500 (SPY) on shared dates and the average 3-month Treasury rate as the risk-free rate.

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF Tail Risk

Tail-risk stats use daily return distributions rather than simple end-point returns. They show how ugly the left tail has been, how severe the worst 5% of days were, and whether returns were skewed toward outsized upside or downside shocks.

The histogram shows the shape of VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's daily log returns over the 5Y window. Bars left of the 5% VaR marker are the worst 5% of days; the ES marker is the average loss inside that tail. Skew and excess kurtosis describe whether the distribution is symmetric around zero and whether extreme days are more common than a Normal distribution predicts.

GDXJ daily return distribution (5Y)

GDXJ daily return distribution (5Y)

Log-return histogram with Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall markers at the 5% left tail.

Days
GDXJ 5Y VaR 5% ES 5% -16.9% 0% +16.9% Daily log return
worst-5% daily return and the average loss inside it
Formula VaR5%=Q0.05(R),ES5%=E[R∣R≤VaR5%]\displaystyle \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%} = Q_{0.05}(R),\quad \mathrm{ES}_{5\%} = \mathbb{E}[R \mid R \le \mathrm{VaR}_{5\%}]
Metric 1Y5Y
VaR (5%) -5.0% Historical daily threshold -4.1% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%) -8.1% Beyond the VaR threshold -5.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew -0.96 -0.29
Excess kurtosis 2.82 1.85

Less negative daily VaR and Expected Shortfall values mean the left tail was less violent. Skew and excess kurtosis help distinguish between steady compounding and a path dominated by occasional extreme moves.

Full stats table

Every window-consistent research metric

Each column keeps the same horizon across returns, ratios, drawdowns, and tail-risk metrics.

Metric
1Y Recent window
5Y Deeper research window
Total return
+124.5%
+183.8%
Annualized return
+124.6%
+23.2%
Volatility
48.8% Annualized daily closes
40.8% Annualized daily closes
Sharpe ratio
1.83
0.61
Sortino ratio
2.58
0.89
Calmar ratio
3.79
0.45
Sterling ratio
4.89
0.78
Ulcer Index
11.57
25.00
Max drawdown
-32.9% 2026-02-27 to 2026-03-20
-51.8% 2021-06-02 to 2022-09-26
VaR (5%)
-5.0% Historical daily threshold
-4.1% Historical daily threshold
Expected shortfall (5%)
-8.1% Beyond the VaR threshold
-5.9% Beyond the VaR threshold
Skew
-0.96
-0.29
Excess kurtosis
2.82
1.85

What viewers usually ask next

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5Y CAGR?

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5y cagr is +23.2% on Gale using the past 5 years.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 1-year volatility?

Annualized volatility is 48.8% over the past year.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year Sharpe ratio?

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Sharpe ratio is 0.61 using the past 5 years.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year Sortino ratio?

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Sortino ratio is 0.89 using the past 5 years.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year Calmar ratio?

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Calmar ratio is 0.45 using the past 5 years.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year Sterling ratio?

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Sterling ratio is 0.78 using the past 5 years.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year Ulcer Index?

VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's Ulcer Index is 25.00 using the past 5 years. Lower is better because it means shallower and less persistent drawdowns.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year max drawdown?

Max drawdown is -51.8% over the past 5 years from 2021-06-02 to 2022-09-26.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year daily Value at Risk?

Using historical daily returns, Gale estimates a 5% Value at Risk of -4.14% over the past 5 years.

What is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's 5-year Expected Shortfall?

Expected Shortfall is -5.89% over the past 5 years, which captures the average outcome inside the worst 5% of daily returns.

Is VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF still below its all-time high?

Current drawdown is -16.9% versus the all-time high of $156.19 reached on 2026-02-27.

Which benchmark should viewers open first for VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF?

S&P 500 is the default benchmark lens on Gale because it gives the cleanest context for VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF's recent behavior.