Rare Earth ETFs: Four US-Listed Funds Compared
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Four US-listed exchange-traded funds are built around rare earths or strategic metals, and they hold very different things. VanEck's REMX is the oldest and largest at $1.64 billion of net assets on 13 October 2026, yet only three of its ten largest holdings are rare earth producers. Sprott's REXC, launched in April 2026, holds 41 companies outside China and puts 39.25% of its assets into Lynas and MP Materials. This page compares REMX, REXC, EART and WDIG on cost, size, holdings and structure using the issuers' own documents. They are the four found in issuer documents on 14 October 2026, and the list may not be exhaustive.
Not investment advice. The page reports what the funds hold and charge. It does not say which fund, if any, to buy, and it shows no fund prices.
$1.64bn
net assets of REMX on 13 October 2026, against $71.8m for REXC and $3.8m for WDIG
3 of 10
largest REMX holdings that are rare earth producers: Lynas, MP Materials and China Northern Rare Earth
39.25%
of REXC held in Lynas (18.81%) and MP Materials (20.44%) on 13 October 2026
Source: Sprott REXC fund page
8 metals
in the WDIG futures basket, none of them a rare earth
How do the four rare earth ETFs compare?
The four funds differ in age, size, cost and what they own, as the table shows. Each cell carries the date of the issuer document it came from, because net assets and weights change daily.
| Fund | Issuer and launch | Annual cost | Net assets | What it holds | Largest holdings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REMX VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF | VanEck. Launched 27 October 2010. NYSE Arca. | 0.53% expense ratio | $1.64bn on 13 October 2026 (fund page) | 37 equities on 30 September 2026. Tracks the MVIS Global Rare Earth/Strategic Metals Index. By country: China 29.27%, Australia 24.65%, United States 17.71%, Canada 8.82%, Chile 8.13% (fact sheet). | Top ten total 58.79%: SQM 8.13%, Albemarle 7.95%, MP Materials 6.69%, Lynas 6.10%, PLS 6.06%, China Northern Rare Earth 5.86% |
| REXC Sprott Rare Earths Ex-China ETF | Sprott. Launched 14 April 2026. Nasdaq. | 0.65% management fee and total expenses | $71.8m on 13 October 2026 (fund page) | 41 equities on 13 October 2026, all outside China. Tracks the Nasdaq Sprott Rare Earths Ex-China Index, rebalanced quarterly. Rare earth equities were 96.59% of the fund on 30 June 2026 (fact sheet). | MP Materials 20.44%, Lynas 18.81%, Sunrise Energy Metals 5.86%, USA Rare Earth 5.45%, Neo Performance Materials 5.25% |
| EART Global X Rare Earth & Critical Materials ETF | Global X. Launched 24 January 2022. Nasdaq. | 0.59% total expense ratio | $45.86m on 31 August 2026 (fact sheet) | 50 equities on 31 August 2026. Tracks the Solactive Rare Earth and Critical Materials Index. By country: China 25.55%, United States 18.58%, Britain 14.21%, South Africa 13.34%, Australia 8.54%. | Anglo American 5.42%, Freeport-McMoRan 5.28%, Grupo Mexico 5.04%, Southern Copper 4.95%, Antofagasta 4.58% |
| WDIG WisdomTree Efficient Rare Earth Plus Strategic Metals Fund | WisdomTree. Launched 7 May 2026. Actively managed. | 0.55% net expense ratio | $3.84m on 13 October 2026 (fund page) | A basket of metals futures plus a basket of equities in strategic metals and rare earths mining. On 12 October 2026 the futures groups were aluminum 18.56%, copper 17.10%, lead 10.32%, platinum 10.30%, zinc 9.14%, nickel 9.13%, silver 7.36% and tin 6.47%, and equities were 84.64%. | Not listed on the page read. By country: United States 28.97%, Canada 17.83%, Australia 12.99%. |
Sources were read on 14 October 2026. Holdings and weights are as of the date in each cell and change often.
What do rare earth ETFs actually hold?
REMX holds mostly producers of other strategic metals alongside three rare earth names. Its ten largest holdings on 30 September 2026 were SQM, Albemarle, MP Materials, Lynas, PLS, China Northern Rare Earth, Jinduicheng Molybdenum, Xiamen Tungsten, Lianyou Metals and Almonty Industries. SQM, Albemarle and PLS appear as lithium producers on this site's lithium page, and Xiamen Tungsten and Almonty on the tungsten page, so the fund's name covers more than rare earths.
REXC is the opposite case, because Sprott's fact sheet describes its focus as companies that derive a majority of revenue or assets from mining, separating, refining or producing rare earths, and it invests exclusively outside China. EART's ten largest holdings on 31 August 2026 were copper, platinum group, lithium and diversified miners, from Anglo American and Freeport-McMoRan to Rio Tinto and PLS. WDIG holds metals futures on eight metals that do not include a rare earth, together with mining equities.
| Company | REMX (30 Sep 2026) | REXC (13 Oct 2026) | EART (31 Aug 2026) | SETM, for reference (13 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lynas Rare Earths | 6.10% | 18.81% | not in top ten | 4.26% |
| MP Materials | 6.69% | 20.44% | not in top ten | 3.05% |
| PLS Group | 6.06% | not held | 3.89% | 3.32% |
| Albemarle | 7.95% | not held | not in top ten | 3.35% |
| SQM | 8.13% | not held | not in top ten | 3.34% |
| Freeport-McMoRan | not in top ten | not held | 5.28% | 5.71% |
REMX and EART publish only ten holdings on their fact sheets, so "not in top ten" does not mean the fund does not hold the company. REXC publishes all 41 holdings, and Lynas and MP Materials are the only companies in this table among them. The SETM column shows weights on its fund page.
How have the rare earth ETFs performed?
The three funds with returns published to 30 September 2026 all lost value over the quarter. The figures are net asset value total returns from the issuers, and they are past performance, which does not predict future results.
| Fund | 1 month | 3 months | Since launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| REMX | -17.43% | -27.56% | -5.26% a year since 27 October 2010 |
| REXC | -12.87% | -19.86% | -22.68% cumulative since 14 April 2026 |
| WDIG | -11.92% | -3.53% | -22.67% cumulative since 7 May 2026 |
Sources: VanEck, Sprott and WisdomTree. EART is not shown because the Global X fact sheet read runs to 31 August 2026.
What should a reader check in a rare earth ETF's documents?
A reader can check five things in the issuer documents, and the four funds give different answers to each.
- Share held in rare earth producers. REMX had three producers among its top ten, and REXC applies a majority-of-revenue-or-assets rule.
- Exposure to China. China was 29.27% of REMX on 30 September 2026 and 25.55% of EART on 31 August, while REXC excludes Chinese companies by design.
- Concentration. REMX's top ten were 58.79% of the fund, and REXC's top two were 39.25%.
- Size and trading cost. Net assets ranged from $3.84 million for WDIG to $1.64 billion for REMX. REXC's median 30-day bid-ask spread was 0.24% on 12 October 2026 and WDIG's 30-day average was 0.69%.
- Annual cost and track record. Expense ratios ran from 0.53% to 0.65%. REMX has traded since 2010, EART since 2022, and REXC and WDIG only since April and May 2026.
Is a rare earth ETF different from owning rare earth stocks or the metals?
A rare earth ETF holds shares in many companies, which is different from owning one company or owning the material. VanEck's REMX had 99.9% of its net assets in the materials sector at 30 September 2026, and none of the four funds' documents describes holding rare earth oxides or metals. The table compares the three routes.
| Route | What you hold | What to read | Where on this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETF | Fund shares backed by equities, and for WDIG also metals futures | Fact sheet, holdings file and prospectus from the issuer | This page |
| Individual stock | Shares of one company | The company's quarterly and annual filings | Rare earth stocks |
| Physical oxides or metals | The material itself | Agency price assessments and contract terms, because most small metal markets have no exchange | How critical minerals are priced |
Which broader funds also hold rare earth companies?
Sprott's SETM holds rare earth equities as one of nine material groups. Its fund page showed rare earth equities at 10.79% of the portfolio, behind copper at 27.09%, uranium at 23.51%, silver at 17.63% and lithium at 17.27%, with Lynas (4.26%) and MP Materials (3.05%) among its holdings on 13 October 2026. The page on critical minerals stocks and ETFs compares SETM with Betashares' ASX-listed Critical Minerals ETF and shows the listed companies behind each mineral.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best rare earth ETF?
No single measure makes one rare earth ETF best. REMX is the oldest, launched in 2010, and the largest at $1.64 billion, with a 0.53% expense ratio. REXC charges 0.65%, invests only outside China and had 96.59% of its weight in rare earth equities on 30 June 2026. EART charges 0.59% and its largest holdings are copper, platinum group and diversified miners, and WDIG is the newest and smallest at $3.84 million. Which exposure suits a reader is a question for a licensed adviser.
Does REMX hold mostly rare earth companies?
No. REMX held three rare earth producers among its ten largest holdings on 30 September 2026, namely Lynas, MP Materials and China Northern Rare Earth. The others included the lithium producers SQM, Albemarle and PLS and the tungsten producers Xiamen Tungsten and Almonty. The fund describes itself as covering rare earth and strategic metals.
Is there a rare earth ETF without Chinese companies?
Yes. Sprott's REXC invests exclusively in companies outside China and held 41 of them on 13 October 2026. China was 29.27% of REMX on 30 September 2026 and 25.55% of EART on 31 August 2026.
Do rare earth ETFs hold physical rare earths?
The fund documents read describe equities, and for WDIG futures on aluminum, copper, lead, platinum, zinc, nickel, silver and tin. None of them describes holding rare earth oxides or metals, which are traded on contracts and agency assessments rather than on an exchange.
Sources
Read on October 14, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- VanEck: REMX fund page (net assets and expense ratio as of 13 October 2026)
- VanEck: REMX fact sheet as of 30 September 2026
- Sprott: REXC fund page (net assets, holdings and spread as of 12 and 13 October 2026; returns to 30 September 2026)
- Sprott: REXC fact sheet as of 30 June 2026
- Global X: EART fact sheet as of 31 August 2026
- WisdomTree: WDIG fund page (as of 12 and 13 October 2026; returns to 30 September 2026)
- Sprott: SETM fund page (holdings as of 13 October 2026)
