ETFs
The best performing ETFs of the month
Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are often inexpensive vehicles that allow investors to track popular indexes or take advantage of the picks of experienced managers to try to beat the market. The best of them serve as the basis of a portfolio and, unlike open-ended funds, all ETFs trade throughout the day on stock exchanges.
As of April 2024, the best performing ETFs included Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF (TUR) and iShares MSCI Türkiye UCITS ETF (IDK). Data in this article comes from Morningstar Direct.
To find the best performing ETFs of the month, we looked at those in Morningstar’s Equity, Allocation or Fixed Income categories available in the UK. We excluded exchange-traded notes, known as ETNs, and ETFs with total assets of less than $25 million (£20.0 million). We also excluded funds that fall into Morningstar’s “trading” categories, as these funds are designed for active traders and are not suitable for long-term investors.
Within our list, two funds fall into the Turkish stocks category, where the average fund increased by 15.94% in April.
The 10 Best Performing ETFs of April 2024
1. Amundi MSCI Türkiye UCITS ETF (TUR)
2. iShares MSCI Türkiye UCITS ETF (IDK)
3. Global X Silver Miners UCITS ETF (PLEASE)
4. UCITS Global X Copper Miners ETF (COPX)
5. iShares Copper Miners UCITS ETF (COPM)
6. Market access NYSE Arca Gold BUSIndex UCITS ETF (M9SD)
7. Invesco STOXX Europe 600 Optimized Basic Resources UCITS ETF (SC0W)
8. iShares STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources UCITS ETF (DE) (EXV6)
9. ETF Xtrackers FTSE China 50 UCITS (XX2D)
10. iShares China Large Cap UCITS ETF (FXC)
Metrics for Top Performing ETFs
Amundi MSCI Türkiye UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★★
• Ongoing charges: 0.45%
• Morningstar Category: Turkish Equities
The £57m Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF was the best performing ETF in April, returning 15.45%. The passively managed Amundi ETF performed roughly in line with the 15.94% gain achieved by the average fund in Morningstar’s Turkish equity category for the month. Over the past 12 months, the Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF returned 46.21%, underperforming the 48.61% gain achieved by the average fund in its category, leaving the ETF in 50th percentile.
The Amundi MSCI Türkiye UCITS ETF has a Morningstar Medalist rating of neutral. It was launched in March 2019.
iShares MSCI Türkiye UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★
• Ongoing charges: 0.74%
• Morningstar Category: Turkish Equities
The second best performing ETF in April was the £93m iShares MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF. The passively managed iShares ETF returned 15.20%, roughly in line with the average for Turkish stock funds, which gained 15.94%. Over the past 12 months, the iShares MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF returned 43.14%, underperforming the 48.61% return of the average fund in its category, leaving the ETF in the 75th percentile.
The iShares MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF has a negative Morningstar Medalist rating, meaning our analysts expect it to be one of the worst performers in its category and think it is unlikely to generate positive returns after fees.
Global X Silver Miners UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Ongoing charges: 0.70%
• Morningstar Category: Precious Metals Stocks
The £53m UCITS Global X Silver Miners ETF was third for the month, returning 12.75%. The passively managed Global X ETF outperformed the average fund return of 9.79% in the precious metals equity category for the month of April. Over the past 12 months, the Global
The UCITS Global X Silver Miners ETF, launched in May 2022, has a negative Morningstar Medalist rating.
Global X Copper Miners UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Ongoing charges: 0.70%
• Morningstar Category: natural resources stocks
With a return of 10.97%, the £113m UCITS Global X Copper Miners ETF came fourth in April. The passively managed Global X ETF outperformed the average natural resources stock fund by 5.11%. Over the last 12 months, the fund has gained 20.77%, ahead of the return of funds in its category of 6.77%, placing it in the 8th percentile for the period.
The UCITS Global X Copper Miners ETF has a Silver Morningstar Medalist rating. It was launched in November 2021.
iShares Copper Miners UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Ongoing charges: 0.55%
• Morningstar Category: natural resources stocks
The fifth best performing ETF was the £22m iShares Copper Miners UCITS ETF, which gained 10.58% in April. This passively managed iShares ETF beat the average fund return of 5.11% in the natural resources stocks category. The fund was first launched in June 2023 and therefore does not have a one-year history.
The iShares Copper Miners UCITS ETF has a Morningstar Gold Rating.
Market access NYSE Arca Gold BUSIndex UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★★
• Ongoing charges: 0.65%
• Morningstar Category: Precious Metals Stocks
The £55m UCITS Market Access NYSE Arca Gold BUSIndex ETF was the sixth best performing UK ETF in April, returning 10.36%. The passively managed China Post Global ETF’s return was roughly in line with the 9.79% gain of the average fund in Morningstar’s precious metals equity category. Over the past 12 months, the Market Access NYSE Arca Gold BUSIndex UCITS ETF returned 4.76%, outperforming the average fund in its category’s return of 3.29%, leaving the ETF in the 40th percentile .
The Silver-rated UCITS NYSE Arca Gold BUSIndex ETF was launched in January 2007.
Invesco STOXX Europe 600 Optimized Basic Resources UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★
• Ongoing charges: 0.20%
• Morningstar Category: industrial materials stocks
The seventh best performing ETF in April was the £38m Invesco STOXX Europe 600 Optimized Basic Resources UCITS ETF. The passively managed Invesco ETF returned 10.16%, outperforming the average industrial materials stock fund, which lost 1.15%. Over the past 12 months, the Invesco STOXX Europe 600 Optimized Basic Resources UCITS ETF returned 9.42%, underperforming the 13.32% return of the average fund in its category, leaving the ETF in the 78th percentile.
The Invesco STOXX Europe 600 Optimized Basic Resources UCITS ETF has a Morningstar Medalist rating of neutral. It was launched in July 2009.
iShares STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources UCITS ETF (DE)
• Morningstar Rating: ★
• Ongoing charges: 0.46%
• Morningstar Category: industrial materials stocks
The £425m iShares STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources UCITS ETF (DE) ranked eighth for the month, returning 9.80%. The iShares ETF, which is passively managed, beat the 1.15% average loss on funds in the industrial materials equity category. Over the past 12 months, the iShares ETF returned 9.57%, behind the 13.32% return of the average fund in its category, placing it in the 75th performance percentile.
The iShares STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources UCITS (DE) ETF, rated Bronze, was launched in July 2002.
Xtrackers FTSE China 50 UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★★
• Ongoing charges: 0.60%
• Morningstar Category: Chinese Equities
With a gain of 9.01%, the £116 million Xtrackers FTSE China 50 UCITS ETF ranked ninth in April. The passively managed Xtrackers ETF outperformed the average Chinese stock fund’s return of 6.13%. Over the past 12 months, the fund has fallen 4.15%, less than the 10.44% loss of funds in its category, placing it in the 14th percentile.
The Xtrackers FTSE China 50 UCITS ETF, launched in June 2007, has a negative Morningstar Medalist rating.
iShares China Large Cap UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★★
• Ongoing charges: 0.74%
• Morningstar Category: Chinese Equities
The tenth best performing ETF was the £489m iShares China Large Cap UCITS ETF, which gained 8.99% in April. The passively managed iShares ETF beat the average fund return of 6.13% in the China stocks category. Over the past year, the iShares China Large Cap UCITS ETF has fallen 4.29%, less than the 10.44% loss of the average fund in its category and placing it in the 15th percentile.
The iShares China Large Cap UCITS ETF has a negative Morningstar Medalist rating. It was launched in October 2004.
What are ETFs?
Exchange traded funds are investments that trade throughout the day on a stock exchange, much like individual stocks. They differ from traditional mutual funds – called open-end funds – which can only be bought or sold at one price each day. Historically, ETFs have tracked indexes, but in recent years more and more ETFs have been actively managed. ETFs cover a range of asset classes, including stocks, bonds, commodities and, more recently, cryptocurrencies.
The best ETFs: other ideas to consider
Investors who want to find more of the best performing or cheapest ETFs can do the following:
• Read the latest ETF articles.
• Use the ETF Filter to find the best ETFs based on your specific criteria. You can search for funds by their fees, Morningstar Medalist ratings, manager tenures, and more.
• Compare funds and ETFs side by side and easily track their reviews, ratings and fees.
This article was compiled by Bella Albrecht, edited by Lauren Solberg, and reviewed by Sunniva Kolostyak.
As part of our mission to put more information in the hands of investors, this article was compiled using Morningstar data and independent research using automation technology. The original article was written by Morningstar reporters and editors. This updated version has been reviewed by an editor.