These are the best-performing ETFs over the last 3 months, 6 months, one year, three years, five years, and 10 years.
All ETFs on the list meet the following basic requirements:
- Non-leveraged
- At least 100K in daily average volume.
- Traded on U.S. exchanges.
These criteria are used to avoid ETFs with very low volume. Also, while leveraged ETFs may provide big returns in the short-term, many do not fair well over the long-term, and witness significant drawdowns as well.
All data is sourced fromStockRoveras of the close of March 18, 2024. Returns include dividends and assume reinvestment. These lists are updated near the middle of each month.
If more than one ETF tracking the same investment/industry is on the list, only the top-performing one is included in the numbered list. The tickers of the other ETFs tracking a similar thing, and which have returns higher than the next ETF on the numbered list, are included in the Additional ETFs & Return column.
Best Performing ETFs Over the Last 3 Months
These are the top-performing ETFs over the last three months, as of March 18, 2024.
| | Ticker | ETF Name | 3-Month Performance | Average Volume (3 Months) | Dividend Yield | Additional ETFs & Return |
| 1 | GBTC | Grayscale Bitcoin Trust | 74.7% | 15.6 million | 0% | |
| 2 | BDRY | Breakwave Dry Bulk Shipping ETF | 63.2% | 0.2 million | 0% | |
| 3 | NVDY | YieldMax NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF | 53% | 0.3 million | 111.7% | |
| 4 | MSOS | AdvisoryShares Pure US Cannabis ETF | 42.3% | 6.5 million | 0% | |
| 5 | CONY | YieldMax COIN Option Income Strategy ETF | 30.6% | 0.8 million | 76.4% |
Best Performing ETFs Over the Last 6 Months
These are the top-performing ETFs over the last six months, as of March 18, 2024.
| | Ticker | ETF Name | 6-Month Performance | Average Volume (3 Months) | Dividend Yield | Additional ETFs & Return |
| 1 | GBTC | Grayscale Bitcoin Trust | 209.3% | 15.6 million | 0% | |
| 2 | BDRY | Breakwave Dry Bulk Shipping ETF | 195.4% | 0.2 million | 0% | |
| 3 | CONY | YieldMax COIN Option Income Strategy ETF | 92.3% | 0.8 million | 76.4% | |
| 4 | NVDY | YieldMax NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF | 64.1% | 0.3 million | 111.7% | |
| 5 | SMH | VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 49.6% | 7.9 million | 0.5% |
You may also want to check out the Best Performing Stocks list
Best Performing ETFs Over the Last 1 Year
These are the top-performing ETFs over the last year, as of March 18, 2024.
| | Ticker | ETF Name | 1-Year Performance | Average Volume (3 Months) | Dividend Yield | Additional ETFs & Return |
| 1 | GBTC | Grayscale Bitcoin Trust | 324.1% | 15.6 million | 0% | |
| 2 | SVXY | ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | 79.8% | 1.4 million | 0% | |
| 3 | SMH | VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 74.6% | 7.9 million | 0.5% | |
| 4 | FNGS | MicroSectors FANG+ ETN | 68.8% | 0.2 million | 0% | |
| 5 | URNJ | Sprott Junior Uranium Miners ETF | 65.7% | 0.3 million | 0% |
Best Performing ETFs Over the Last 3 Years
These are the top-performing ETFs over the last three years, as of March 18, 2024.
| | Ticker | ETF Name | 3-Year Performance | Average Volume (3 Months) | Dividend Yield | Additional ETFs & Return |
| 1 | SVXY | ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | 141.9% | 1.4 million | 0% | |
| 2 | IEO | iShares US Oil & Gas Exploration and Production ETF | 119.2% | 0.1 million | 2.7% | |
| 3 | FCG | First Trust Natural Gas ETF | 108.1% | 0.3 million | 3% | |
| 4 | VDE | Vangaurd Energy Index Fund ETF Shares | 99.6% | 0.5 million | 3.3% | FENY: 99.5% XLE: 98.9% IYE: 91.3% |
| 5 | DXJ | Wisdom Tree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 89.1% | 1 million | 2.9% |
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Best Performing ETFs Over the Last 5 Years
These are the top-performing ETFs over the last five years, as of March 18, 2024.
| | Ticker | ETF Name | 5-Year Performance | Average Volume (3 Months) | Dividend Yield | Additional ETFs & Return |
| 1 | GBTC | Grayscale Bitcoin Trust | 1178.5 | 15.6 million | 0% | |
| 2 | SMH | VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 329.7% | 7.9 million | 0.5% | SOXX: 260.4% |
| 3 | ITB | iShares US Home Construction ETF | 21.6% | 1.9 million | 0.4% | |
| 4 | XLK | Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund | 196.6% | 6.4 million | 0.8% | |
| 5 | IXN | iShares Global Tech ETF | 173% | 0.3 million | 0.6% |
Best Performing ETFs Over the Last 10 Years
These are the top-performing ETFs over the last 10 years, as of March 18, 2024.
| | Ticker | ETF Name | 10-Year Performance | Average Volume (3 Months) | Dividend Yield | Additional ETFs & Return |
| 1 | GBTC | Grayscale Bitcoin Trust | 12,809% | 15.6 million | 0% | |
| 2 | SMH | VanEck Semiconductors ETF | 1013.7% | 7.9 million | 0.5% | SOXX: 839.2% |
| 3 | XLK | Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund | 555.7% | 6.4 million | 0.8% | VGT: 532.5% FTEC: 520.2% IYW: 509% |
| 4 | IXN | iShares Global Tech ETF | 482% | 0.3 million | 0.6% | QTEC: 439% QQQ: 432% IGV: 407.1% |
| 5 | IWY | iShares Russell Top 200 Growth ETF | 376.4% | 0.5 million | 0.8% |
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How to Scan for the Best Performing ETFs
Scanning for the best-performing ETFs is straightforward and doesn’t require buying any special software.
Using a free site like Finviz, click the Screener button. Under the Descriptive tab, go to Industry and select Exchange Traded Fund. Also under the Descriptive tab, select Average Volume over 100K.
Then, click the Performance tab just above the list of ETFs. This will show how all the ETFs on the list have performed on various time frames. Sort the list by one year (Perf Year) to see the top-performing ETFs over the last year.
This is just an example of how to scan for ETFs using a stock screener. Many other scanners work in a similar way.
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Disclaimer: Nothing in this article is personal investment advice, or advice to buy or sell anything. Trading is risky and can result in substantial losses, even more than deposited if using leverage. Data is sourced from third parties and is intended for information purposes only. There may be errors in data, so check with other sources before relying on such data.
