What are the best ETFs since the start of the year?

Amongst mainstream equity ETFs-i.e. ones without unreasonable leverage-several have posted strong performances from the start of 2026. The themes are hardly surprising, with defence, precious metals and certain Asian markets standing out.

In the long list of ETFs available in Europe, some are standing out already early on this year. We have selected only highly liquid index funds with large assets under management, then we have singled out the most prominent major themes. The choice of issuers is based on fund size, but comparable products generally exist from several of them. MarketScreener's ETF selection tool helps you find those that match your criteria.

• ProShares Ultra Silver ETF - USD (+48.4%) - This fund really shines out from the pack; it seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, that correspond to twice the daily performance of the Bloomberg Silver Subindex, sterling so far this year...
• VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF - USD (+20.7%) - aims to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the MVIS Global Rare Earth/Strategic Metals Index, trying to track the overall performance of companies that produce, refine and recycle rare earth and strategic metals and minerals.
• Global X Defense Tech ETF - USD (+17.9%) - Buzzwords of the modern era, as it says this fund invests in the growth sector of Defense Tech stocks.
• Abrdn Physical Precious Metals Basket Shares ETF - USD (+12.8%) - This investment aims to reflect the performance of the price of a basket of gold, silver, platinum and palladium bullion, for investors who want a cost effective and convenient way to invest in physically-backed precious metals.
• Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF - USD (+3.4%): The Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF aims to track performance of the FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index, a market-cap-weighted index of about 3,700 common stocks (all cap sizes) of companies in Canada and major European and Pacific region markets.
• iShares Silver Trust ETF - USD (+22.0%): With a truly Sterling performance, the iShares Silver Trust seeks to reflect generally the performance of the price of silver.