4 Top-Performing ETF Areas of First Nine Months of 2025

Wall Street has been enjoying a decent rally this year, defying slowdown fears that showed up in April due to Trump’s tariff tensions. However, with the trade deals that followed, Wall Street bounced back sharply along with the global markets.The tech boom has also been playing a role in driving the markets higher.

The S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq Composite have hit a series of new all-time highs this year. SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY has added 13.1% so far this year, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust DIA has gained 8.8%, Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 QQQ has advanced 16.8% and iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM has gained 9.3% in the year-to-date frame.

Then there was the first Fed rate cut of this year in September. The Fed enacted policy easing to address a softer labor market and indicated that more easing is probably underway. Among other developments, inflation seems to be sticky in the United States and consumer sentiment has been wavering.

In the financial market, IPOs remained hot. Six companies went public in early September, each raising more than $100 million — a landmark not seen since November 2021, according to Renaissance Capital, as quoted on Yahoo Finance.

Against this backdrop, below we highlight the best-performing ETF areas for the first nine months of 2025.

Gold & Silver Miners

iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF SLVP – Up 129.9%

iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF RING – Up 126.6%

SPDR Gold Trust GLD has gained 40% while iShares Silver Trust SLV has advanced about 48% in the year-to-date frame (as of Sept. 24, 2025). Both ETFs gained due to their increased safe-haven appeal.  As mining stocks often act as leveraged plays of the underlying metal, gold and silver mining ETFs have gained massively.

Bitcoin Miners

CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF WGMI – Up 93.3%

Bitcoin prices have gained about 19% so far this year due to higher institutional and corporate adoption. President Trump’s announcement of creating a crypto reserve bodes well for cryptocurrency miners, including IREN Limited IREN and Cipher Mining CIFR. IREN is up 350% in the year-to-date frame, while CIFR shares have advanced 193%. These stocks have solid exposure to the ETF WGMI.

Uranium

Global X Uranium ETF (URA) – Up 88.1%

Electricity needs are increasing globally and triggering investors’ and industries’ interest in nuclear energy. However, the sector faces regulatory and cost hurdles (as quoted on World Nuclear Association), but momentum is returning after years of stagnation, with record nuclear generation of 2667 TWh in 2024, per the World Nuclear Association.

Nuclear remains the second-largest source of low-emission electricity after hydropower (per IEA). Tech giants (in order to power their AI push) and heavy industries are increasingly turning to nuclear to meet rising power needs. Since uranium is the key fuel used in most nuclear reactors, the demand for uranium is rising fast (read: Nuclear ETFs Up At Least 40% in the Past Year: More Gains in Store?).

Defense

Select STOXX Europe Aerospace & Defense ETF EUAD – Up 86.9%

Global X Defense Tech ETF SHLD – Up 79.7%

The year has so far witnessed rising geopolitical tensions, be it in the Middle East or in East Europe.  This has boosted the need for increased global defense spending, which in turn has also enhanced the fund’s prospects. Additionally, Europe is strengthening its military capabilities and significantly increasing its defense spending.

Defense spending by European Union (EU) member states is likely to rise significantly over the next two years, as quoted on a Goldman Sachs report. Goldman Sachs expects the EU to gradually raise its annual defense spending by around €80 billion ($84 billion) by 2027 — equivalent to roughly 0.5% of GDP, according to the report issued in early 2025.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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