The 10 Best Performing ETFs Over the Last 10 Years

ETFs continue to be a preferred vehicle for financial advisors. In September, total ETF AUM crossed the $10 trillion mark for the first time—a testament to the growing popularity of these investment vehicles.

As their prominence rises, we’ve curated a definitive list of the best-performing ETFs over the last decade. 

The Federal Reserve’s decision to cut interest rates by 50 basis points in September represents a recalibration of monetary policy. The Fed’s move was prompted by easing inflation and a desire to foster maximum employment at a time when the unemployment rate was climbing.

If the Fed has brought inflation under control, investors and consumers will want to see that maintained for longer than a month. In our recent white paper, “Which Asset Classes Perform Best When Inflation Is Driven Lower?,” we found that equities have historically delivered strong performance when inflation remains under control for at least a year.

Get your copy of “Which Asset Classes Perform Best As Inflation is Driven Lower” here:

This list of best-performing ETFs should be timely for investors, given that CPI has fallen within the Fed’s target range and considering equities’ past performance during these “in-range” periods.

To create this list, we analyzed the entire ETF universe using the YCharts Fund Screener to find the best-performing ETFs on a 3-year, 5-year, 10-year, and year-to-date basis (excluding leveraged and inverse ETFs).

Click to jump to a section:

• Best-Performing ETFs YTD
• Best-Performing ETFs in the Last 3 Years
• Best-Performing ETFs in the Last 5 Years
• Best-Performing ETFs in the Last 10 Years
• What Was the Growth of $10,000 Over the Last 10 Years?

Best Performing ETFs YTD

These are the top-performing ETFs year-to-date in 2024, as of September 30, 2024.

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Best Performing ETFs in the Last 3 Years

These are the top-performing ETFs on an annualized basis between September 29, 2021 and September 30, 2024.

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Best Performing ETFs in the Last 5 Years

These are the top-performing ETFs on an annualized basis between September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2024.

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Best Performing ETFs in the Last 10 Years

These are the top-performing ETFs on an annualized basis between September 30, 2014 and September 30, 2024.

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What Was the Growth of $10,000 Over the Last 10 Years?

If you invested $10,000 10 years ago into any of the ten best-performing ETFs over the last 10 years, your balance today would be no less than $50K.

The best-performing ETF in the last 10 years was VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH). A $10,000 investment into SMH 10 years ago would be worth over $105K today. Right behind it was the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX); investing $10,000 into SOXX back in 2014 would’ve turned into over $85K.

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Disclaimer

©2024 YCharts, Inc. All Rights Reserved. YCharts, Inc. (“YCharts”) is not registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (or with the securities regulatory authority or body of any state or any other jurisdiction) as an investment adviser, broker-dealer or in any other capacity, and does not purport to provide investment advice or make investment recommendations. This report has been generated through application of the analytical tools and data provided through ycharts.com and is intended solely to assist you or your investment or other adviser(s) in conducting investment research. You should not construe this report as an offer to buy or sell, as a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as a recommendation to buy, sell, hold or trade, any security or other financial instrument. For further information regarding your use of this report, please go to: ycharts.com/about/disclosure