Five Mining ETFs Your Broker Forgot To Mention

When it comes to mining ETFs, know this: There is more to this corner of the ETF globe than just the usual suspects. You already know the usual suspects such as the SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF XME, the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF GDX and the Global X Silver Miners ETF SIL. As is always the case, popularity is not a guarantee of returns and the mining sector is definitely an area where it pays to look off the beaten. Even better is that this approach can be extended to miners of both base and precious metals. With the latter finally showing some signs of life, let's have a look at five mining ETFs your broker probably forget to mention. First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund FXZ: Don't let the names deceive you. FXZ really isn't a kissing cousin to an ETF like XME. In fact, FXZ may just be the closest thing to a chemicals industry ETF out there because that sector accounts for over 43% of the ETF's weight. And by chemicals, we don't mean Dow Chemical DOW or DuPont DD. This ETF offers exposure to a different, more obscure group of names. FXZ has been trapped in a narrow range between $23.50 and $26 this year, so buy above $26 on a breakout. Rydex S&P 500 Equal Weight Materials ETF RTM: Sick of excessive weights to Freeport McMoRan FCX, DuPont and the like in your materials ETF? Try RTM on for size. Home to 30 familiar materials with no single constituent getting weight larger than 3.72% or less than 3.41%. Equal-weight ETFs do work, but in a taste test between XME and RTM, XME's wins by a wide margin regarding performance. iShares S&P Global Materials ETF MXI: There have been times when we've felt like we were the only ones singing the praises of this ETF, so it may surprise some to learn MXI has soared over 30% in the past year. View MXI this way: Iron demand is forecast to continue rising, especially in the emerging markets. The three largest iron ore makers in the world are Vale VALE, Rio Tinto RIO and BHP Billiton BHP. Those stocks account for 20% of MXI's weight. First Trust ISE Global Platinum Index Fund PLTM: As good as it when it comes to a platinum mining ETF, PLTM has suffered a similar fate to other precious metal mining ETFs this year. That is a shellacking. Gold and silver mining ETFs have started to show some signs of life recently, but the same cannot be said of PLTM. Not yet anyway. If platinum and palladium prices bounce, maybe the miners will finally join the party. Global X Pure Gold Miners ETF GGGG: The newest member of the lists, GGGG is just five months old. Home to 30 stocks, the ETF is a legitimate competitor and alternative to GDX and the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF GDXJ as it mixes well-known gold miners with more obscure names. GGGG's anonymous days may be drawing to a close as gold miners have started to rally and the ETF has surged 10% in the past month.