ETFs in the Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals category offer investors direct exposure to the price movements of precious metals like gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. These funds typically hold the physical metals in secure vaults, providing a convenient and liquid way to invest in assets that are often sought after as a hedge against inflation, a safe-haven during times of market uncertainty, or as a tool for portfolio diversification. Instead of holding mining stocks, these ETFs aim to track the spot price of the underlying metal or a basket of metals.
The diversity within this category allows investors to tailor their exposure to specific market views. The largest sub-group consists of pure-play Gold funds, such as the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), which command approximately 88% of the category’s assets. The second-largest group focuses on Silver, like the iShares Silver Trust (SLV), representing about 10% of assets and appealing to those who see value in its dual role as both a monetary and industrial metal. For broader exposure, Broad-Based funds like the abrdn Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF (GLTR) hold a mix of metals. Finally, smaller, more niche funds offer pure-play exposure to Platinum and Palladium. While primarily considered precious metals, like all sub-groups in this category, they also have significant industrial applications. Investors can access these through separate ETFs such as the abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF (PPLT) and the abrdn Physical Palladium Shares ETF (PALL).
Performance & Flows Update (as of 9/5/2025)
The precious metals space has seen strong performance and continued investor interest recently. As a whole, the category is up 36% year-to-date and has attracted nearly $6.8 billion in new assets over the last month. Year-to-date, the category has gathered over $29.1 billion in net flows.
Diving into the sub-groups reveals that it has been a standout year across the board, with each metal posting significant gains. Platinum is leading the charge with a stunning 51.44% year-to-date return, followed by Silver with a powerful 41.48% gain. Not to be outdone, Gold, the largest segment, has posted a massive 36.89% return year-to-date while also seeing the lion’s share of inflows, pulling in over $27.2 billion. Palladium has also had a strong showing with a 21.76% year-to-date return, though it has faced more recent headwinds, highlighting the unique supply and demand drivers for each metal within this diverse category.
Powered by ETF Action’s Navigator
Up-to-date data analysis built using the ETF Action Navigator tool. Located under the Databases menu on the side panel, the Navigator allows users to filter the entire ETF universe on dozens of data points, create custom groupings to aggregate data the way they want to see it, and save their work as a custom dashboard.
Unlock Deeper Insights
The summary data only scratches the surface. By creating a free account, you can access the complete Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals report and our interactive Commodities Dashboard to unlock critical insights that can help you make more informed decisions:
- Structure & Market Share: Analyze the category’s concentration, assets under management (AUM), and investor fund flows.
- Performance & Risk: Go beyond simple returns to compare funds on key risk-adjusted metrics like Sharpe Ratio, Alpha, and volatility.
- Look-Through Analytics: Understand what you truly own with detailed look-through data on portfolio composition, exposures, equity fundamentals, and fixed income characteristics.
Disclosures
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. All investments, including ETFs, involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investors should consider their investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing.
This analysis was developed by the team at ETF Action. We leverage advanced AI tools to assist in the drafting and refinement of our content, based on our expert prompts, direction, and final review.
