Below are some of the best-performing ETFs available to buy now if you’re a UK investor. It’s always best to invest long-term, and these top ETFs have performed well over specific time periods – just click the different tabs to switch between timeframes. The percentage performance on display shows the growth of each ETF.
Note: We’ve added a link next to each of these funds, which takes you to a share trading app where you can sign up to invest in that fund.
| Icon | Fund | YTD performance (to 10 October 2024) | Link to invest |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Amundi MSCI Semiconductors ESG Screened UCITS ETF Acc (SEMG) | 53.04% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | VanEck Defense UCITS ETF A (DFNG) | 39.71% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| Amundi MSCI China UCITS ETF Acc (LCCN) | 36.78% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | iShares China Large Cap UCITS ETF (FXC) | 34.34% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | Xtrackers FTSE China 50 UCITS ETF 1C (XX25) | 32.29% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
Here are the best ETFs in terms of performance in the past year.
| Icon | Fund | 1-year performance | YTD performance (to 10 October 2024) | Link to invest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VanEck Crypto and Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF (DAGB) | 96.73% | 7.31% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | WisdomTree Blockchain UCITS ETF USD Acc (BKCN) | 91.30% | 6.15% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | Global X Blockchain UCITS ETF USD Accumulating (BKCG) | 80.16% | -7.40 | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| Amundi MSCI Semiconductors ESG Screened UCITS ETF Acc (SEMG) | 74.83% | 53.04% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (BLKC) | 68.03% | -4.31% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
Here are the best ETFs in terms of performance in the past 5 years.
| Icon | Fund | 5-year performance | YTD performance (to 10 October 2024) | Link to invest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amundi MSCI Semiconductors ESG Screened UCITS ETF Acc (SEMG) | 224.43% | 53.04% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | Invesco US Technology Sector UCITS ETF (XLKQ) | 218.07% | 32.29% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| iShares S&P 500 Information Technology Sector UCITS ETF USD (Acc) (IITU) | 207.24% | 29.34% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| Xtrackers MSCI USA Information Technology UCITS ETF 1D (XSTC) | 193.36% | 27.38% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | SPDR S&P US Technology Select Sector UCITS ETF (GXLK) | 173.37% | 15.08% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| Icon | Fund | YTD performance (to 5 December 2023) | Link to invest |
|---|---|---|---|
| VanEck Crypto and Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF (DAGB) | 171.97% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| Global X Blockchain UCITS ETF USD Accumulating (BKCG) | 162.80% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
 | HANetf Grayscale Future of Finance UCITS ETF (GFOP) | 83.29% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| HANetf ETC Group Digital Assets & Blockchain Equity UCITS ETF (KOIP) | 80.00% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
| WisdomTree Blockchain UCITS ETF USD Acc (BKCN) | 65.64% | InvestInvestCapital at risk |
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
An exchange-traded fund (ETF) lets you invest in a whole range of different investments in one fell swoop, but how do you choose the best ETFs to buy and hold? It’s an asset class that’s blown up in the last few decades – from just a few hundred options to close to 10,000 ETFs globally today, covering a range of markets and sectors.
Finding the best performing ETFs to invest in now will depend on your long-term strategy and your personal style of investing. To help you decide, here are some of the best performing ETFs for UK investors and the most popular ETFs today.
It’s important to realise that the current best performing ETFs in 2024, may not necessarily be the best ETFs to buy and hold moving forward.
Past performance doesn’t dictate future results, and the top ETFs right now may not continue to grow at the same rate. Unfortunately, our crystal ball is out of service right now.
If you’re looking for the best ETFs for long-term growth, you may want to look outside of the funds that have already seen explosive growth in recent times.
Finding the best ETF to invest in will also depend on your goals, investing strategy, and risk appetite. Don’t pick an investment just because it’s been a top-performing asset over a short period. It’s always worth thinking about whether an ETF will be a good investment to buy and hold for years to come.
Picking the best ETFs is really just finding the one that suits your investing style best. You’ll also want to look at the goals of the ETF and performance. Our lists above can help you narrow down your search for ETFs — here are some of the next steps you could take.
It depends on the ETFs and markets you’re looking at. Investing in ETFs continues to grow in popularity. In 2003, there were just 276 ETFs in total, compared to almost 10,000 today.
When it comes to performance of ETFs themselves, it really depends on what assets or markets a particular ETF is tracking. Broad market ETFs covering a popular index like the S&P 500 have fared well in recent years, but this may not continue going forward.
We can see in the best ETFs table above that some of the top performing ETFs to buy recently have been focused around:
It’s important to remember that the performance of ETFs depends on the underlying investments. A lot of the strong performance in these areas can be due to specific events. For example, a global shortage of semiconductors, a rise in crypto prices or Turkey’s progressing economy. These momentum trends may not continue and could be overtaken by new trends like artificial intelligence (AI), for example.
Usually, broad-market ETFs that track major indices like the S&P 500, the Nasdaq, or the FTSE 100. These investments can also often be the best ETFs for young investors or those looking to buy and hold ETFs for long-term growth.
Another great option for beginners is a global ETF that tracks stock markets from developed and emerging markets around the world. These index-tracking ETFs come with a degree of diversity, are simple to understand, and are usually cheap.
It can be best for beginners to avoid highly-specific ETFs that focus on complex themes or sectors (for example, junior miners, robotics, or biotech). These ETFs can involve more risk and are harder to grasp, but the flipside is that they can sometimes generate the best returns.
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
"This type of ETF works a little differently. Rather than appreciating when the underlying assets grow, an inverse ETF goes up in value when a market or assets decline.
So, buying a FTSE 100 inverse ETF means that if the FTSE 100 index was to lose value, your investment would make money. But, if the FTSE 100 index went up, your ETF investment would lose money.
These ETFs are best left to experienced investors looking for short-term market declines. Also, they often involve leverage, which means borrowing money to maximise returns, or losses."
As with all investments, the best for one person might not be the best for everyone. Take a look at our guide to choosing the best ETF above to help you find one that suits your investment style.
There are plenty of options available to choose between — most investment platforms have a stock screener that helps you narrow down your search, typically by performance, keyword and charges.
If you’re looking for a platform that offers ETFs, have a look at our table or head to our best ETF brokers page.
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