Exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which trade on an exchange like stocks, enable investors to purchase a variety of equities or other assets in a single fund with (often) modest expenses. In the past ten years, ETFs have gained enormous popularity and now manage trillion dollars in assets. Where can a potential investor begin when there are literally thousands of ETFs available? The top ETFs by category, including some extremely specialized funds, are listed below.

 

What is an ETF and how does it work?

Stocks, bonds, and occasionally commodities may all be held in positions by an exchange-traded fund. The majority of the time, ETFs hold positions in the index businesses at their identical relative weights in the index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500. The investor effectively buys a (small) part of all the assets held in the fund by purchasing one share of the ETF.

ETFs frequently focus on a certain stock collection. One of the most popular themes is an S&P 500 index fund, but other popular themes include value or growth stocks, dividend-paying stocks, country-based investments, disruptive technologies, particular industries like information technology or healthcare, various commodities, and international investments.

The fund company levies a fee known as an expense ratio for managing an ETF. The annual proportion of your whole investment in the fund is the expense ratio. For instance, an ETF might have a 0.12% cost. Accordingly, an investor would pay $12 for every $10,000 invested in the fund each year. Investors enjoy great popularity with low-cost ETFs.

 

Best ETFs of July 2022 by type:

• Equity ETFs
• Bond ETFs
• Balanced ETFs
• Commodity ETFs
• Currency ETFs
• Real estate ETFs
• Volatility ETFs
• Leveraged ETFs
• Inverse ETFs

 

Top equity ETFs

Equity ETFs offer exposure to a portfolio of publicly traded equities and can be categorized according to the stock's listing location, company size, dividend payment policy, and industry. Investors can then select the stock funds to which they want exposure and limit their stock purchases to those that meet certain requirements.

 

Although stock ETFs are more volatile than other investment options like bonds or CDs, they are suited for long-term investors wanting to accumulate money. As of June 29, 2022, some of the most well-liked equities ETF sectors and their prior performance are as follows:

 

Leading US market-cap index ETFs

This type of ETF uses a passive investment strategy that follows a significant index, such as the S&P 500, to give investors broad exposure to publicly traded businesses listed on American exchanges.

S&P 500 ETF from Vanguard (VOO)

Performance so far in 2022: -19.4 percent

Annual performance for the last five years: 11.3%

The ratio of expenses: 0.03 percent

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV), SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), and Invesco QQQ Trust are a few of the most popular ETFs in this group (QQQ).

 

Leading international ETFs

This type of ETF can offer targeted exposure to globally or by a more particular geographic region, such as Asia, Europe, or developing markets. Since other nations might not provide investors with the same protections as the United States offers, investing in foreign enterprises raises issues including currency risk and governance hazards.

FTSE Developed Markets ETF from Vanguard (VEA)

Performance so far in 2022: -18.5 percent

Annual performance in the past five years: 2.9%

The cost ratio was 0.05 percent.

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA), Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO), and Vanguard Total International Stock ETF are a few of the ETFs that are held by the largest number of investors (VXUS).

 

Leading sector ETFs

Investors can purchase stock in a variety of industries with the help of this type of ETF, including consumer goods, energy, finance, healthcare, and technology. These ETFs are often passive, which means they just mechanically follow an established stock index.

 

Information technology Vanguard ETF (VGT)

Performance so far in 2022: -27.5 percent

Annual performance for the previous five years: 19.8%

The ratio of expenses: 0.10 percent

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF), Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE), and Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund are a few of the most popular ETFs (XLI).

 

Leading bond ETFs

A bond ETF offers exposure to a portfolio of bonds that are frequently segmented into sub-sectors based on the type of bond, the issuer, the maturity, and other variables, enabling investors to purchase precisely the bonds they desire. Bonds pay interest on a regular basis, and the ETF distributes this income to investors.

Retirement investors and other people who require the security of monthly income may find bond ETFs to be an appealing holding. The following are some of the most well-liked bond ETF sectors and their returns:

 

ETFs for long-term bonds

This type of bond ETF exposes investors to bonds with a long maturity, possibly up to 30 years in the future. Since long-term bond ETFs are most susceptible to changes in interest rates, they will move in the opposite direction of rates if they rise or fall. Many investors don't believe the benefit justifies the risk, despite the fact that these ETFs may offer a greater yield than shorter-term bond ETFs.

Invesco MBS ETF (MBB)

Performance so far in 2022: -9.1 percent

Annual concert for the last five years: 0.2%

The ratio of expenses: 0.04 percent

iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) and Vanguard Mortgage-Backed Securities ETF are two of the most popular ETFs (VMBS).

 

ETFs for short-term bonds

Bonds with a short maturity, often no longer than a few years, are exposed by this type of bond ETF. These bond ETFs are relatively low risk because they won't react strongly to fluctuations in interest rates. Since these ETFs are much more liquid and diverse than any one bond, they may be a more appealing option than directly owning the bonds.

Short-Term Bond ETF from Vanguard (BSV)

Performance so far in 2022: -4.8 percent

Annual performance in the past five years: 1.0 percent

The ratio of expenses: 0.04 percent

iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY) and Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF are two of the most popular ETFs in this category (VGSH).

You can get your Real-Time and Historical ETF Data with Finage free ETFs Data API key.

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