Best-Performing ETFs of Last Week

Wall Street was upbeat last week, withthe State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY adding about 1.1%, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust DIA advancing 0.5%, Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 QQQ gaining 1.4% and iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM tacking on 1.5% gains.

Last week was marked by heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, which impacted oil and gas market heavily. Hence, the most notable gain was realized by oil ETFs. United States Oil Fund LP USO and United States Brent Oil Fund LP BNO rose 6.2% and 6.6% last week, respectively.

Rising Geopolitical Tensions Add Oil Supply Concerns

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks with Iranian officials in Geneva. However, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Iran failed to meet key American demands during recent nuclear negotiations and warned that military action remains an option if diplomacy breaks down, as mentioned in a CNBC article. 

Meanwhile, Iran conducted military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical route for global energy shipments — raising fears that oil flows could be disrupted in the event of conflict.

Note that about one-third of all waterborne crude exports pass through this narrow waterway, according to data from energy consulting firm Kpler, as quoted on CNBC. The United States has also has strengthened its military presence in the Middle East by deploying aircraft carriers.

Supreme Court Rejects Emergency-law Tariffs

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs imposed by Donald Trump under a national emergency law. In a 6–3 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court agreed with a lower court that the Republican president had surpassed his authority in using the 1977 law, per Reuters.

Lower-Than-Expected U.S. Growth Rate

The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized 1.4% in Q4 2025, the least since Q1 2025, following a 4.4% advancement in Q3 and well below forecasts of 3%, as mentioned in Trading Economics. Consumer spending slowed (2.4% versus 3.5%). Analysts attributed the decline to the government shutdown, per the above-mentioned Reuters article.

Key Earnings of the Week

Deere DE beat earnings estimates and raised its FY2026 outlook, sending the stock sharply higher on Feb. 19, 2026. Strong shipment volumes and demand recovery lifted Deere despite tariff concerns (read: Deere Stock Surges on Upbeat Earnings & Guidance: Agri ETFs to Play).

Shares of Walmart Inc. WMT suffered, despite the company’s better-than-expected fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results. Although it comfortably surpassed analysts’ estimates for earnings and revenues, the retail giant’s stock tumbled on the bourses, most likely owing to its earnings outlook for fiscal 2027, which fell short of Wall Street’s expectations (read: ETFs to Watch as Walmart Shares Slip Despite Q4 Earnings Beat). 

Against this backdrop, below we highlight the winning exchange-traded funds (ETFs) of the last week.

ETFs in Focus

Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF BWET – Up 33.3% Last Week

The fund offers exposure to crude oil tanker shipping. Global shipping stocks rose due to sharply increased freight rates caused by ongoing disruptions in major trade routes – particularly the Red Sea – which force vessels to take longer journeys.

The Sprott Physical Silver Trust PSLV – Up 8.9%

The dollar declined on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs based on a national emergency law, as quoted by Reuters. This boosted metal prices and materially supported silver prices.

Sprott Junior Uranium Miners ETF URNJ – Up 8.0%

Uranium mining companies are experiencing upward momentum in early 2026, thanks to a tight supply-demand balance. There is an increasing demand from the utilities sector.

REX Drone ETF DRNZ – Up 8.3%

Drone stocks are in favor due to the high demand for military and commercial applications, rapid technological advancements, and strong government backing for domestic manufacturing. 

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

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