Gold Miners or Silver Miners: Which Precious Metals ETF Is the Better Buy Right Now?

Sara Appino, The Motley Fool

Tue, June 16, 2026 astatine 10:30 AM CDT 4 min read

Sprott Gold Miners ETF (NYSEMKT:SGDM) offers little fees and North American golden exposure, whereas Global X - Silver Miners ETF (NYSEMKT:SIL) provides planetary metallic mining entree with higher caller returns.

Both funds supply targeted introduction into the precious metals mining industry, yet they service chiseled portfolio roles. While golden and metallic often travel akin terms trajectories, the operational risks and geographic concentrations of these ETFs disagree significantly. This examination examines however their underlying assets and outgo structures mightiness power semipermanent results.

Snapshot (cost & size)

Beta measures terms volatility comparative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months. Dividend output is the trailing-12-month organisation yield.

Investors whitethorn find the Sprott money much affordable, arsenic its 0.46% disbursal ratio is importantly little than the 0.65% charged by the Global X fund. While some wage regular distributions, the Global X money offers a somewhat higher organisation output astatine 1.10% compared to 1.00% for the Sprott fund.

Performance & hazard examination

What's wrong

The Sprott Gold Miners ETF (NYSEMKT:SGDM) concentrates its strategy connected gold-producing companies specifically situated successful the United States and Canada. This non-diversified money usually allocates astatine slightest 90% of its assets to its benchmark securities. Its 41 holdings are dominated by 99% basal materials stocks, and its largest positions see Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX:AEM.TO) astatine 10.46%, Barrick Mining (TSX:ABX.TO) astatine 9.52%, and Newmont (NYSE:NEM) astatine 8.48%. Launched successful 2014, the money reports nary circumstantial structural quirks and has a trailing-12-month dividend of $0.73 per share.

The Global X - Silver Miners ETF (NYSEMKT:SIL) mirrors a planetary scale of metallic mining companies, looking for some superior maturation and income. It maintains 40 holdings, which are wholly concentrated successful the basal materials assemblage astatine 100.00%. Its apical holdings see Wheaton Precious Metals (NYSE:WPM) astatine 21.52%, Pan American Silver (NYSE:PAAS) astatine 12.66%, and Coeur Mining (NYSE:CDE) astatine 11.04%. This money was launched successful 2010 and besides reports nary circumstantial structural quirks. It paid $0.99 per stock implicit the trailing 12 months.