Top Performing ETFs to Monitor in May 2025
Ready to dive into the world of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)? Let's get started!
ETFs are a type of investment fund that you can buy and sell like a stock – and they come with some glorious perks. For one, they offer diversification. A single ETF can own a whole bunch of different securities, spread across various sectors and asset classes, reducing the risk that comes with betting on individual stocks.
But that's not all. ETFs usually have lower fees (also known as expense ratios) than actively managed mutual funds and allow investors to buy and sell shares throughout the day, like you would with stocks. This pleasant liquidity factor means you can buy or sell whenever the market is open, without worrying about pesky time constraints.
Now, let's check out some of the top-performing ETFs from May 2025. We've got a scoop on the best performers across equity, bond, fixed income, commodities, and currency categories, and we've excluded any leveraged or inverse ETFs, as well as funds with less than $50 million in assets under management. That's not all! We've also omitted any funds that focus on cryptocurrencies.
So, buckle up as we take a look at these fantastic ETFs!
Equity ETF With the Best 1-Month Return: VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ)* One-month performance: 15.5%* Expense Ratio: 0.52%* Annual Dividend Yield: 1.82%* 1-Month Average Daily Volume: 6,170,229 shares* Assets Under Management (AUM): $5.45 billion* Inception Date: Nov. 10, 2009* Issuer: VanEck1
The VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ) aims to track the performance of small-cap companies primarily engaged in gold and silver mining, offering investors exposure to early-stage miners with significant upside potential. With recent months seeing a rise in gold prices due to heightened economic uncertainty, central bank buying, and a rush to safe-haven assets, GDXJ has been riding high on the ol' gold rush wave.[2]
Bond ETF With the Best 1-Month Return: SPDR Bloomberg International Corporate Bond ETF (IBND)* One-month performance: 6.97%* Expense Ratio: 0.50%* Annual Dividend Yield: 2.32%* 1-Month Average Daily Volume: 100,724 shares* AUM: $239.5 million* Inception Date: May 19, 2010* Issuer: State Street3
The SPDR Bloomberg International Corporate Bond ETF aims to track the performance of large, investment-grade corporate bonds issued outside the U.S., focusing on fixed-rate securities with over $1 billion in market cap. The fund is market cap-weighted and rebalanced monthly.
Fixed Income ETF With the Best 1-Month Return: WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt (ELD)* One-month performance: 0.91%* Expense Ratio: 0.55%* Annual Dividend Yield: 5.49%* 1-Month Average Daily Volume: 19,738* AUM: $69.8 million* Inception Date: Aug. 9, 2010* Issuer: WisdomTree, Inc.5
The WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund seeks high total returns through investments in bonds denominated in emerging market currencies, offering exposure to countries like Brazil, China, and South Africa. The fund is actively managed with a strong focus on risk management, providing high income potential, diversification, and access to emerging market interest rates and currency movements.
Commodities ETF With the Best 1-Month Return: Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL)* One-month performance: 12.53%* Expense Ratio: 0.15%* Annual Dividend Yield: N/A* 1-Month Average Daily Volume: 191,457 shares* AUM: $232.8 million* Inception Date: June 30, 2022* Issuer: Franklin Templeton7
The Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF seeks to reflect the performance of gold bullion, minus the fund's expenses. This fund is unique due to its commitment to responsibly sourced gold, ensuring that gold is mined and processed through ethical, verified supply chains that combat money laundering, terrorism financing, human rights abuses, and environmental harm.
Currency ETF With the Best 1-Month Return: Invesco Currency Shares Swiss Franc Trust (FXF)* One-month performance: 9.17%* Expense Ratio: 0.40%* Annual Dividend Yield: N/A* 1-Month Average Daily Volume: 236,748 shares* AUM: $482.2 million* Inception Date: June 21, 2006* Issuer: Invesco9
The Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust aims to track the price of the Swiss franc, the official currency of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It offers investors direct exposure to the Swiss franc through a publicly traded vehicle.
Now that you have an inspiring peek at the wonders of ETFs, let's discuss how to jump into the ETF market yourself. First, choose an ETF that aligns with your financial goals, risk tolerance, and investment strategy – perhaps one of the existing top performers we've shared. Open a brokerage account with a platform that offers ETF trading, then place an order just like you would for a stock.
And voilà! You're invested in the exciting world of ETFs, right in the heart of the global financial market!
Footnotes:
- VanEck website
- Goldmineals.com, accessed 9/27/2023
- State Street Global Advisors website
- Yahoo Finance, accessed 9/27/2023
- WisdomTree Investments website
- InsideETFs.com article, June 2023
- Franklin Templeton website
- LBMA Responsibly Sourced Gold Guidance, accessed 9/27/2023
- Invesco website
Key Insights:
Gold mining ETFs like GDXJ have been thriving due to favorable market conditions and continued geopolitical risks.[4] Other highlights from equity ETFs are covered call/high-yield funds and value ETFs, such as VBR/SCHD.[1] No specific bond or currency ETFs appear in our top performers, but high-dividend equity ETFs can serve as alternative income options.[5]
Additional Sources:
- Yahoo Finance
- Morningstar
- Investopedia
- Global X ETFs
- First Trust
- iShares
As of September 27, 2023, the author does not own any of the above ETFs.
This article provides informational and general discussions about ETFs and their relative performance. It is not intended to be an investment recommendation and does not constitute financial advice. Individual financial situations are unique and should be evaluated accordingly.
- In the realm of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ), a top-performing equity ETF for the month, aims to offer exposure to small-cap gold and silver mining companies.
- In the bond category, the SPDR Bloomberg International Corporate Bond ETF (IBND) focuses on large, investment-grade corporate bonds outside the U.S., with an emphasis on fixed-rate securities with over $1 billion in market cap.
- The WisdomTree Emerging Markets Local Debt (ELD) fund, a top-performing fixed income ETF, invests in bonds denominated in emerging market currencies, providing access to countries like Brazil, China, and South Africa.
- The Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (FGDL) reflects the performance of gold bullion, focusing on ethical, verified supply chains that combat money laundering, terrorism financing, human rights abuses, and environmental harm.
- The Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust aims to track the price of the Swiss franc, offering direct exposure to the Swiss franc and serving as an alternative to traditional banking methods for holding foreign currency.
- To invest in ETFs, first, identify an ETF that caters to your financial goals, risk tolerance, and investment strategy; then, open a brokerage account with a platform that offers ETF trading, and finally, place an order to purchase the ETF.
- ETFs have been thriving in the gold mining sector due to favorable market conditions and increased geopolitical risks, with other highlights in equity ETFs including covered call/high-yield funds and value ETFs like VBR/SCHD.
- High-dividend equity ETFs can serve as alternative income options, although no specific bond or currency ETFs appeared in our top performers for the month analyzed.
