VanEck Gold Miners ETF vs iShares Russell 2000 ETF — how do they compare? VanEck Gold Miners ETF trades at $89.01 (market cap $25.65B), while iShares Russell 2000 ETF trades at $278.56 (market cap $77.70B). The key difference: iShares Russell 2000 ETF is far larger — about 3× VanEck Gold Miners ETF's market cap, and iShares Russell 2000 ETF is trading nearer its 52-week high, VanEck Gold Miners ETF nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals — on Pluang, investors hold VanEck Gold Miners ETF for 76 Days and iShares Russell 2000 ETF for 83 Days on average.
| GDX | IWM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $25.65B | $77.70B |
Volume | 16,534,046 | 35,598,983 |
52-Week High | $115.84 | $305.06 |
52-Week Low | $68.28 | $229.13 |
Typical Hold Time | 76 Days | 83 Days |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
GDX trades at $89.31, up 4.51% over the past 24 hours, but technical indicators signal a bearish trend with moving averages and ADX pointing lower. The ETF faces headwinds from rising interest rates pressuring dividend stocks and a recent sell-off in metals. Support levels are clustered between $84 and $86, while resistance sits near $87 to $89. Recent news highlights institutional selling by firms like Allworth Financial and HB Wealth Management, though Ameritas Advisory Services increased its stake.
The outlook for GDX is cautious due to bearish technicals and macroeconomic pressures on gold miners. Opportunities exist if gold prices rebound, but risks include persistent rate hikes and volatility in commodity markets. Investors should weigh the ETF's leverage to gold against operational risks in the mining sector.
IWM trades at $278.05, up 0.12% with bearish technical signals from moving averages. The small-cap ETF faces headwinds from Federal Reserve rate hikes and underperformance relative to large-cap indices. Recent news highlights IWM's decade-long trailing of the S&P 500 while carrying higher risk, with institutional selling pressure evident from Envestnet's 4.6% stake reduction in Q3 2026.
Small-cap exposure offers diversification but faces near-term pressure from tightening financial conditions. The ETF's broad Russell 2000 composition includes unprofitable companies, creating performance drag. Upside potential exists if economic conditions improve, but current momentum favors large-caps amid rising interest rates and energy price volatility.
Trailing returns across standard periods
What Pluang investors did over the last 30 days
Latest headlines on both assets
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in common stocks and depositary receipts of companies involved in the gold mining industry. The index is a modified market-capitalization weighted index primarily comprised of publicly traded companies involved in the mining for gold and silver. The fund is non-diversified.
Read more on GDX →The ETF is designed to track the performance of the securities and the stocks in the Russell 2000 Index. To maintain the composition and weightings, the advisor adjusts the ETF from time to time to conform to periodic changes in the index target.
Read more on IWM →