Despite the major market crash in March, all of the major indexes ended 2020 in the green. The S&P 500 (SP500) ending the year up 16.27%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) rose 5.58%, and the NASDAQ (COMP) increased by 43.64% in 2020. While at times it felt as if there was a major disconnect with the economy and the stock market, and it still does to an extent, most of the year, it felt like no matter what you were invested in; you were making money. But, while not all stocks increased the same amount, the same is true about ETFs. Some funds, like stocks, did better than others.
When you look back at the year now, did you match market returns, fall behind, or where you invested in stocks and ETFs that beat the averages? Let’s take a look at the top five best performing ETFs of 2020 in a number of different categories the average investor has to choose from.
The following table shows the performance of the top five best performing ETFs in 2020, as well as their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years. (All figures quoted are based on the December 31st, 2020 closing price. Five- and ten-year periods are annualized when available.)
The following table shows the performance of the top five Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020 and their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020 and their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five US Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020, as well as their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Global Ex-US Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020 and their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Developed Markets Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020 and their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Emerging Markets Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020 and their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five European Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020, as well as their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Asian-Pacific Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020 and their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Latin American Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020, as well as their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Middle-Eastern & African Equity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020 and their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Commodity Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020, as well as their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Currency Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020, as well as their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
The following table shows the performance of the top five Fixed Income Non-Leveraged ETFs in 2020, as well as their performance over the last month, the last three months, the last five and ten years.
(All figures quoted above are based on the December 31st, 2020 closing price. Five- and ten-year periods are annualized when available.)
The FANG leveraged products were the top two best performers of last year. However, if you’re like me and prefer to stay away from the levered products, you could have still seen massive returns if you predicted the alternative energy revolution early. That is one trend many analysts believe will continue in 2021 and beyond, so maybe if you missed out in 2020, you may still have time.
And of course, you could always just bite the bullet and buy into one of Cathie Woods ARK ETFs since they have been top performers for a few years running. Regardless, going into 2021, we all need to remember that there may be only one ‘best ETF of the year’, but you don’t have to pick the very best to beat the market and see sizeable returns.
Best of luck to all investors in the new year!
Matt Thalman
INO.com Contributor - ETFs
Follow me on Twitter @mthalman5513
Disclosure: This contributor did not hold a position in any investment mentioned above at the time this blog post was published. This article is the opinion of the contributor themselves. The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. This contributor is not receiving compensation (other than from INO.com) for their opinion.
