It was a great quarter for the best ETFs. Gains in stocks and bonds and a half-point interest-rate cut last month made investors happy and boosted U.S. exchange-traded fund assets to more than $10 trillion.
Morningstar analyst Ryan Jackson called it "a milestone," noting ETFs brought in $282 billion in the third quarter. They've brought in $696 billion since the start of the year. ETFs are on track to beat the $900 billion annual flows record set in 2021, Morningstar says.
ETF investors, against the backdrop of a nearly 23% gain for the S&P 500 this year, are hoping the good news show goes on.
But how do you find the right ETFs for you?
IBD's quarterly list of the Best Performing ETFs can help, identifying outstanding ETFs for you to consider. Here are the best performing ETFs of 2024 for the first three quarters of the year.
These ETFs are ranked by year-to-date performance as of Sept. 30 and screened for volume. They must have average daily volume in the past three months of 50,000,000 shares or more.
Best ETFs: U.S. Diversified Stock Funds
| Rank | Top 20 | Symbol | RS | YTD | 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invesco S&P 500 Momentum | SPMO | 84 | 38.83 | 1.63 |
| 2 | Invesco S&P MidCap Momentum | XMMO | 83 | 34.29 | 1.76 |
| 3 | Direxion HCM Tactical EnhU.S.EqStrat | HCMT | 82 | 33.09 | 3.87 |
| 4 | iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor | MTUM | 79 | 29.76 | 2.95 |
| 5 | Fidelity Blue Chip Growth | FBCG | 78 | 28.41 | 2.82 |
| 6 | T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth | TCHP | 79 | 28.08 | 2.43 |
| 7 | SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth | SPYG | 78 | 28.07 | 2.87 |
| 8 | Vanguard S&P 500 Growth | VOOG | 78 | 28.00 | 2.89 |
| 9 | iShares S&P 500 Growth | IVW | 78 | 27.92 | 2.83 |
| 10 | Nuveen Growth Opportunities | NUGO | 76 | 27.43 | 1.79 |
| 11 | iShares Core S&P US Growth | IUSG | 78 | 27.28 | 2.97 |
| 12 | Fidelity Fundamental Large Cap Core | FFLC | 78 | 26.98 | 2.06 |
| 13 | Fidelity Enhanced Large Cap Growth | FELG | 74 | 26.93 | 2.74 |
| 14 | Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 | XLG | 78 | 26.77 | 2.38 |
| 15 | Fidelity Fundamental Large Cap Gr | FFLG | 76 | 26.30 | 2.56 |
| 16 | iShares Russell Top 200 Growth | IWY | 78 | 26.04 | 2.79 |
| 17 | Motley Fool 100 | TMFC | 79 | 25.98 | 2.33 |
| 18 | Schwab US Large-Cap Growth | SCHG | 78 | 25.97 | 2.62 |
| 19 | JPMorgan Active Growth | JGRO | 76 | 25.85 | 2.44 |
| 20 | JPMorgan US Momentum Factor | JMOM | 78 | 25.59 | 2.69 |
Best ETFs: Sector Funds
| Rank | Top 20 | Symbol | RS | YTD | 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roundhill Magnificent Seven | MAGS | 87 | 42.54 | 6.81 |
| 2 | VanEck Semiconductor | SMH | 83 | 40.36 | 0.82 |
| 3 | iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners | RING | 91 | 35.22 | 2.23 |
| 4 | Global X Defense Tech | SHLD | 86 | 33.89 | -0.43 |
| 5 | MicroSectors FANG+ ETN | FNGS | 81 | 30.92 | 3.11 |
| 6 | SPDR S&P Homebuilders | XHB | 90 | 30.74 | 6.22 |
| 7 | iShares MSCI Global Silver&Mtls Mnrs | SLVP | 89 | 30.70 | 7.37 |
| 8 | The Utilities Select Sector SPDR | XLU | 88 | 30.50 | 6.60 |
| 9 | iShares US Insurance | IAK | 84 | 30.13 | 0.76 |
| 10 | Vanguard Utilities | VPU | 87 | 30.04 | 6.23 |
| 11 | Fidelity MSCI Utilities | FUTY | 87 | 29.96 | 6.25 |
| 12 | iShares US Utilities | IDU | 87 | 29.77 | 5.54 |
| 13 | First Trust RBA Amer Indl Renais | AIRR | 84 | 29.25 | 2.12 |
| 14 | Amplify Junior Silver Miners | SILJ | 89 | 28.90 | 7.60 |
| 15 | VanEck Junior Gold Miners | GDXJ | 89 | 28.75 | 6.18 |
| 16 | iShares Expanded Tech Sector | IGM | 79 | 28.68 | 3.12 |
| 17 | VanEck Gold Miners | GDX | 88 | 28.41 | 3.11 |
| 18 | Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure | MLPX | 74 | 26.91 | 0.26 |
| 19 | SPDR S&P Insurance | KIE | 82 | 26.80 | 0.78 |
| 20 | First Trust NASDAQ Technology Div | TDIV | 81 | 26.63 | 3.62 |
Best ETFs: Foreign Stock Funds
| Rank | Top 20 | Symbol | RS | YTD | 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iShares China Large-Cap | FXI | 86 | 32.68 | 20.11 |
| 2 | Columbia India Consumer | INCO | 84 | 30.91 | 3.76 |
| 3 | Global X MSCI Argentina | ARGT | 90 | 29.62 | 1.70 |
| 4 | iShares MSCI Malaysia | EWM | 86 | 29.33 | 4.36 |
| 5 | KraneShares CSI China Internet | KWEB | 86 | 26.00 | 32.43 |
| 6 | iShares MSCI China | MCHI | 84 | 25.51 | 21.71 |
| 7 | iShares Asia 50 | AIA | 79 | 25.41 | 7.24 |
| 8 | iShares Global 100 | IOO | 74 | 23.99 | 1.06 |
| 9 | iShares MSCI India Small-Cap | SMIN | 79 | 23.23 | 1.88 |
| 10 | WisdomTree India Earnings | EPI | 78 | 23.07 | 0.98 |
| 11 | Global X MSCI China Consumer Disc | CHIQ | 85 | 23.05 | 31.92 |
| 12 | iShares MSCI South Africa | EZA | 85 | 22.50 | 7.33 |
| 13 | SPDR S&P China | GXC | 81 | 21.63 | 22.15 |
| 14 | WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity | DXJ | 47 | 21.54 | -1.29 |
| 15 | Franklin FTSE India | FLIN | 74 | 21.21 | 1.18 |
| 16 | Horizon Kinetics Inflation Bnfcrs | INFL | 79 | 21.07 | 2.15 |
| 17 | iShares MSCI Singapore | EWS | 81 | 20.63 | 7.37 |
| 18 | iShares MSCI India | INDA | 74 | 19.91 | 1.40 |
| 19 | Schwab Fundamental Emerging MarketsEq | FNDE | 74 | 19.84 | 7.14 |
| 20 | SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend | EDIV | 68 | 19.82 | 4.67 |
Best ETFs: Bond/Income Funds
| Rank | Top 20 | Symbol | RS | YTD | 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virtus InfraCap US Preferred Stock | PFFA | 62 | 18.33 | 4.72 |
| 2 | Aptus Defined Risk | DRSK | 58 | 14.80 | 1.62 |
| 3 | VanEck CEF Municipal Income | XMPT | 62 | 13.13 | 3.42 |
| 4 | Invesco Preferred | PGX | 52 | 12.42 | 3.48 |
| 5 | Invesco Financial Preferred | PGF | 50 | 12.37 | 3.30 |
| 6 | iShares J.P. Morgan EM High Yld Bd | EMHY | 52 | 12.20 | 2.32 |
| 7 | First Trust Preferred Sec & Inc | FPE | 50 | 12.06 | 2.43 |
| 8 | VanEck EM High Yield Bond | HYEM | 50 | 12.06 | 1.74 |
| 9 | Global X US Preferred | PFFD | 50 | 11.73 | 3.05 |
| 10 | First Trust Instl Pref Secs and Inc | FPEI | 47 | 11.54 | 2.03 |
| 11 | iShares Preferred&Income Securities | PFF | 50 | 11.03 | 3.21 |
| 12 | SPDR ICE Preferred Securities | PSK | 50 | 10.95 | 3.09 |
| 13 | Principal Spectrum Pref Secs Actv | PREF | 47 | 10.88 | 1.85 |
| 14 | VanEck Pref Secs ex Fincls | PFXF | 50 | 10.85 | 3.31 |
| 15 | Invesco Variable Rate Preferred | VRP | 44 | 10.41 | 1.44 |
| 16 | Simplify High Yield PLUS Credit Hdg | CDX | 44 | 10.25 | 0.53 |
| 17 | Invesco Emerging Markets Sov Debt | PCY | 55 | 9.44 | 2.75 |
| 18 | iShares High Yield Systematic Bond | HYDB | 44 | 9.07 | 1.65 |
| 19 | Franklin High Yield Corporate | FLHY | 44 | 8.93 | 1.03 |
| 20 | Global X Variable Rate Preferred | PFFV | 37 | 8.76 | 1.66 |
Best ETFs: Commodity/Currency Funds
| Rank | Top 10 | Symbol | RS | YTD | 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abrdn Physical Silver Shares | SIVR | 84 | 30.65 | 7.79 |
| 2 | iShares Silver Trust | SLV | 84 | 30.44 | 7.82 |
| 3 | iShares Gold Trust Micro | IAUM | 84 | 27.43 | 5.17 |
| 4 | SPDR Gold MiniShares | GLDM | 84 | 27.43 | 5.12 |
| 5 | GraniteShares Gold Trust | BAR | 84 | 27.37 | 5.14 |
| 6 | Goldman Sachs Physical Gold | AAAU | 84 | 27.36 | 5.13 |
| 7 | iShares Gold Trust | IAU | 84 | 27.34 | 5.12 |
| 8 | Abrdn Physical Gold Shares | SGOL | 84 | 27.30 | 5.10 |
| 9 | VanEck Merk Gold Trust | OUNZ | 84 | 27.20 | 5.05 |
| 10 | SPDR Gold Shares | GLD | 84 | 27.14 | 5.09 |
Sources: Morningstar Direct, IBD
The 2024 Best Mutual Funds logo and accolades are available for licensing through Investor's Business Daily's partner, The YGS Group. For more information and ordering, please visit www.IBDlicensing.com or call 800-290-5460.
