Our 100 Favorite ETFs for 2016
These are our 100 Favorite ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) to follow in the financial markets. Many of these can be considered for your investment portfolio, while others give us a sense of what is happening in the financial markets across the world. Our List of Exchange Traded Funds includes the most actively traded exchange traded funds along with those that we feel are the best in each asset category. Investment returns shown are as of December 31, 2015.
You may sort this table by clicking on the heading of any column.
| ETF Name | Ticker | Asset Category | 1 Yr | 3 Yr | 5 Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond | SHY | Short Government Bond | 0.43 | 0.36 | 0.56 |
| SPDR Barclays ST Corp Bond | SCPB | Short-Term Bond | 0.86 | 1.02 | 1.63 |
| iShares TIPS Bond | TIP | Inflation-Protected Bond | (1.75) | (2.34) | 2.34 |
| iShares 0-5 Year TIPS Bond | STIP | Inflation-Protected Bond | (0.10) | (1.03) | 0.68 |
| iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond | IEI | Intermediate Government | 1.64 | 0.97 | 2.57 |
| iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond | IEF | Long Government | 1.51 | 1.31 | 4.50 |
| iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond | TLT | Long Government | (1.79) | 2.69 | 8.29 |
| iShares Core US Aggregate Bond | AGG | Intermediate-Term Bond | 0.48 | 1.45 | 3.13 |
| iShares Intermediate Credit Bond | CIU | Corporate Bond | 0.58 | 1.32 | 3.37 |
| iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corp Bond | SHYG | High Yield Bond | (3.76) | ||
| PowerShares Fun Hi Yld Corp Bond | PHB | High Yield Bond | (3.05) | 1.18 | 4.15 |
| iShares iBoxx High Yield Corp Bond | HYG | High Yield Bond | (5.03) | 0.78 | 4.06 |
| iShares International Agg Bond | IAGG | International Bond | |||
| iShares JPM Emerg Mkts Bond | EMB | Emerging Markets Bond | 1.03 | (0.40) | 4.45 |
| PowerShares Emerg Mkts Sov Debt | PCY | Emerging Markets Bond | 2.28 | 0.07 | 5.59 |
| PowerShares Senior Loan | BKLN | Bank Loan | (3.06) | 0.47 | |
| SPDR S&P 500 | SPY | Large Cap | 1.25 | 14.98 | 12.43 |
| PowerShares S&P 500 High Quality | SPHQ | Large Cap | 1.67 | 16.01 | 13.66 |
| PowerShares Nasdaq 100 | QQQ | Large Cap Growth | 9.45 | 21.24 | 16.83 |
| iShares S&P 500 Growth | IVW | Large Cap Growth | 5.37 | 16.97 | 13.83 |
| SPDR S&P Dividend | SDY | Large Cap Value | (0.73) | 13.69 | 11.93 |
| SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average | DIA | Large Cap Value | 0.11 | 12.53 | 11.11 |
| PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility | SPLV | Large Cap Value | 4.01 | 14.53 | |
| SPDR S&P Mid Cap 400 | MDY | Mid Cap | (2.50) | 12.98 | 10.35 |
| WisdomTree Mid Cap Earnings | EZM | Mid Cap | (4.77) | 13.12 | 11.46 |
| First Trust Dorsey Wright Focus 5 | FV | Mid Cap Growth | 6.78 | ||
| iShares S&P Mid Cap 400 Growth | IJK | Mid Cap Growth | 1.91 | 13.18 | 10.86 |
| PowerShares High Yld Eq Div Ach | PEY | Mid Cap Value | 2.37 | 16.40 | 12.72 |
| WisdomTree MidCap Dividend | DON | Mid Cap Value | (1.09) | 14.97 | 12.85 |
| iShares Core S&P Small Cap | IJR | Small Cap | (2.07) | 13.57 | 11.42 |
| WisdomTree Small Cap Earnings | EES | Small Cap | (7.17) | 11.34 | 9.29 |
| iShares Russell 2000 | IWM | Small Cap | (4.47) | 11.65 | 9.19 |
| iShares S&P Small Cap 600 Growth | IJT | Small Cap Growth | 2.70 | 14.97 | 12.43 |
| PowerShares S&P Small Cap Low Volatiliy | XSLV | Small Cap Value | 2.70 | ||
| First Trust Dow Jones Micro Cap | FDM | Micro Cap | (0.06) | 14.15 | 9.48 |
| iShares MSCI ACWI ex US | ACWX | International Equity | (5.81) | 0.86 | 0.65 |
| iShares MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility | EFAV | International Equity | 7.74 | 8.91 | |
| First Trust DWA Intl Focus 5 | IFV | International Equity | (0.17) | ||
| WisdomTree Intl Hdgd Qual Div Gr | IHDG | International Equity | 11.83 | ||
| WisdomTree International Equity | DWM | International Equity | (2.93) | 3.93 | 3.59 |
| iShares MSCI EAFE Small Cap | SCZ | International Small Cap | 9.10 | 9.64 | 6.29 |
| WisdomTree Intl Small Cap Div | DLS | International Small Cap | 7.46 | 7.31 | 6.09 |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Min Vol | EEMV | Emerging Mkts Equity | (12.04) | (4.67) | |
| iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets | IEMG | Emerging Mkts Equity | (14.31) | (7.01) | |
| iShares MSCI Asia ex Japan Minimum Vol | AXJV | Emerging Mkts Small Cap | (6.27) | ||
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap | EEMS | Emerging Mkts Small Cap | (7.14) | (2.49) | |
| iShares MSCI Frontier 100 | FM | Emerging Mkts Small Cap | (17.21) | 1.87 | |
| iShares MSCI All Country World Min Vol | ACWV | World Equity | 2.92 | 10.15 | |
| iShares Latin America 40 | ILF | Region Equity | (31.53) | (19.33) | (14.66) |
| WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity | HEDJ | Region Equity | 5.76 | 10.07 | 7.51 |
| iShares Europe | IEV | Region Equity | (3.28) | 3.62 | 3.52 |
| iShares MSCI Australia | EWA | Country Equity | (9.96) | (4.40) | (0.85) |
| iShares MSCI Canada | EWC | Country Equity | (23.91) | (6.79) | (5.00) |
| iShares MSCI Sweden | EWD | Country Equity | (4.54) | 2.59 | 2.29 |
| iShares MSCI Germany | EWG | Country Equity | (2.79) | 3.84 | 4.07 |
| iShares MSCI Hong Kong | EWH | Country Equity | (1.17) | 3.77 | 3.91 |
| iShares MSCI Italy | EWI | Country Equity | 3.12 | 3.03 | (0.85) |
| iShares MSCI Japan | EWJ | Country Equity | 9.16 | 8.84 | 3.72 |
| iShares MSCI Switzerland | EWL | Country Equity | 0.29 | 7.40 | 6.81 |
| iShares MSCI United Kingdom | EWU | Country Equity | (7.03) | 0.87 | 2.60 |
| iShares MSCI Mexico | EWW | Country Equity | (14.25) | (9.31) | (2.70) |
| iShares MSCI Brazil | EWZ | Country Equity | (41.74) | (25.96) | (20.93) |
| iShares China Large-Cap | FXI | Country Equity | (12.93) | (1.72) | (1.39) |
| PowerShares DB Agriculture | DBA | Commodities Agriculture | (17.20) | (9.66) | (8.62) |
| United States Agriculture Index | USAG | Commodities Agriculture | (14.09) | (8.84) | |
| PowerShares DB Commodity Tracking | DBC | Commodities Broad Basket | (27.59) | (21.65) | (13.48) |
| GreenHaven Continuous Commodity | GCC | Commodities Broad Basket | (18.99) | (13.72) | (10.88) |
| United States Commodity Index | USCI | Commodities Broad Basket | (16.19) | (11.62) | (8.90) |
| United States Natural Gas | UNG | Commodities Energy | (41.30) | (22.88) | (28.96) |
| United States Oil | USO | Commodities Energy | (45.97) | (30.92) | (22.36) |
| iShares Gold Trust | IAU | Commodities Precious Metals | (10.58) | (14.35) | (5.95) |
| iShares Silver Trust | SLV | Commodities Precious Metals | (12.42) | (23.42) | (15.26) |
| Consumer Discret Sel Sect SPDR | XLY | Consumer Cyclical | 9.92 | 19.75 | 17.60 |
| Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR | XLP | Consumer Defensive | 6.89 | 16.03 | 14.56 |
| Alerian MLP | AMLP | Energy Limited Partnership | (25.68) | (2.61) | 0.72 |
| UBS Alerian MLP Infras ETN | MLPI | Energy Limited Partnership | (31.97) | (2.37) | 2.19 |
| Energy Select Sector SPDR | XLE | Equity Energy | (21.47) | (3.27) | (0.42) |
| Financial Select Sector SPDR | XLF | Financial | (1.74) | 15.28 | 10.27 |
| SPDR S&P Biotech | XBI | Health | 13.58 | 34.69 | 27.83 |
| Health Care Select Sector SPDR | XLV | Health | 6.84 | 23.65 | 20.05 |
| Industrial Select Sector SPDR | XLI | Industrials | (4.30) | 14.07 | 11.02 |
| Materials Select Sector SPDR | XLB | Natural Resources | (8.67) | 7.24 | 4.73 |
| iShares Cohen & Steers REIT | ICF | Real Estate | 6.03 | 11.74 | 12.14 |
| WisdomTree Global ex-US Real Estate | DRW | Real Estate - Global | (3.00) | 0.19 | 3.70 |
| SPDR Dow Jones Global Real Estate | RWO | Real Estate - Global | 1.01 | 7.05 | 8.40 |
| SPDR Dow Jones Intl Real Estate | RWX | Real Estate - Global | (3.22) | 1.76 | 4.49 |
| Technology Select Sector SPDR | XLK | Technology | 5.49 | 16.21 | 13.17 |
| Utilities Select Sector SPDR | XLU | Utilities | (4.91) | 11.44 | 10.83 |
| ProShares Short S&P 500 | SH | Trading-Inverse Equity | (4.18) | (15.04) | (13.80) |
| ProShares Short MSCI EAFE | EFZ | Trading-Inverse Equity | (3.01) | (6.92) | (7.74) |
| ProShares Short 20+ Year Treasury | TBF | Trading-Inverse Debt | (1.67) | (5.58) | (10.99) |
| CurrencyShares Euro | FXE | Single Currency | (10.69) | (6.69) | (4.34) |
| CurrencyShares Japanese Yen | FXY | Single Currency | (0.71) | (10.65) | (7.91) |
| PowerShares DB US Dollar Bearish | UDN | Multicurrency | (9.85) | (7.67) | (4.60) |
| PowerShares DB US Dollar Bullish | UUP | Multicurrency | 7.01 | 5.55 | 2.46 |
| Credit Suisse Long/Short Eq ETN | CSLS | Long/Short Equity | 5.95 | 7.27 | 4.90 |
| First Trust Long/Short Equity | FTLS | Long/Short Equity | (1.71) | ||
| Janus Velocity Volatility Hedged | SPXH | Long/Short Equity | (3.99) | ||
| First Trust MS Mgd Futures Strat | FMF | Managed Futures | (0.71) | ||
| iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futs ETN | VXX | Volatility | (36.21) | (45.94) | (49.33) |