ETFs may have exploded in popularity during the last few years, but one offering has just hit a significant milestone, with asset manager VanEck marking the 20th anniversary of the firm’s Gold Miners ETF (Ticker: GDX).
The fund, which dates back to May 16, 2006, was VanEck’s first ETF, launched at a time when the ETF industry was still in its relative infancy. VanEck now offers more than 80 ETFs, and, as of April 30, managed approximately $224.8 billion in assets spanning ETFs, mutual funds, and institutional accounts.
The GDX ETF seeks to replicate the performance of the price and yield performance of the MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index (MVGDXTR), which tracks companies involved in the gold mining industry.
As of May 15, the fund’s top holdings were Newmont Corp. (Ticker: NEM), Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (Ticker: AEM), Barrick Mining Corp. (Ticker: B), and Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (Ticker: WPM). By that point, GDX had registered year-to-date returns of 1.8% and had total net assets of $26.66 billion.
“To understand GDX is to understand our story as a firm and how we’ve built our ETF business over the past 20 years,” said Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck, in a statement. “Bringing GDX to market was more than a product launch. It reflected our approach to identifying long-term opportunities, drawn from decades of deep thematic expertise, and delivering them to investors in an accessible and efficient way.”
VanEck started its first U.S. gold equity mutual fund in 1968.
Fast forward to 2026 and CEO van Eck recently told InvestmentNews that advisors are increasingly looking for ways to tap into the rise of gold, citing the precious metal's epic rally of recent years.
Gold surged past $5,000 for the first time ever earlier this year.
More broadly, ETFs have also enjoyed booming demand in recent years; total net assets have soared from $2.1 trillion at year-end 2015 to $13.5 trillion this past March, according to data from the Investment Company Institute. ETF ownership also surged to 16.9 households, up from 1 million in 2005, the institute said in data released last year.
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