Core Insights - Gold is experiencing a historic price increase, drawing attention even from those not closely following the markets [1][2] - The SPDR Gold ETF (GLD) is highlighted as a key indicator of gold's performance, alongside the Van Eck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) and the GDXJ, which focuses on smaller mining companies [2][3] ETF Performance - GDXJ, the smallest ETF, has over $8.5 billion in assets under management, indicating strong popularity [3] - Smaller mining companies represented by GDXJ are more volatile, with a beta of 1.06 compared to GDX's 0.77, suggesting higher risk [3] - Historical returns show that GDXJ outperformed GDX over the past three years, but underperformed over the past five years, particularly during a slump in gold prices [4] Future Considerations - The significant rise in gold prices raises questions about whether mining stocks are worth the additional risk associated with them [5] - The performance of GLD, which is up 56% this year, prompts speculation on whether GDX and GDXJ will continue to outperform if the rally persists [6]