The popular Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE:GDXJ) passed the important milestone of $1 billion in assets the other day after just five months of trading – that’s a pretty impressive start.

Launched back in early November, shares were bid higher in advance of the December 2nd high in the gold price at about $1,225 an ounce and, on that day, GDXJ reached a peak at just under $30. It looks to be closing in on that level again as the gold price appears to have broken out of its recent trading range, headed back for a test of last year’s high.

Full Disclosure: Long GDXJ at time of writing.