Top Performing Leveraged/Inverse ETFs: 03/29/2026
Last week (ending March 29, 2026) leveraged and inverse exchange‑traded funds posted some of the strongest gains of the year, led by oil‑focused products that surged over 20% as geopolitical tensions pushed crude prices higher. Energy‑linked ETNs such as OILU, NRGU and WTIU topped the list, while volatility‑related ETFs like UVIX and UVXY delivered double‑digit returns amid spiking market anxiety. Gold‑miner leveraged ETN GDXU added 17% on safe‑haven demand, and inverse tech products including FNGD and BERZ rose as the technology sector slipped roughly 5%. The performance underscores how quickly leveraged structures can amplify macro‑driven moves.
Alternative ETFs: Expanding Access
The ETF industry is extending its retail-friendly wrapper to a broader set of alternative investments, from traditional real assets like gold to newer niches such as cryptocurrency, autocallable structured products, volatility futures, and catastrophe bonds. Assets under management across these...
Free Cash Flow: The Signal and Not the Noise
Investors are turning to free cash flow (FCF) as a clearer signal amid AI‑driven market hype that has inflated valuations and capital expenditures for the Magnificent Seven. VictoryShares highlighted its two ETFs—VFLO, which tracks large‑cap firms with strong FCF yields,...
Hybrid Finance: Why It Matters for Investors
Hybrid finance merges traditional financial infrastructure with blockchain systems, creating a new investable asset class. Major institutions like BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Visa are deploying tokenised Treasuries, on‑chain money funds, and stablecoin settlements, with daily stablecoin transaction volumes surpassing $200 billion....
BIG NUMBER 3.73%
Investors now expect the Federal Reserve’s benchmark federal funds rate to end 2026 at 3.73%, near the top of its current 3.50‑3.75% range. This marks a 70‑basis‑point increase from a month ago when three cuts were anticipated, driven by heightened...
How the FHSA Can Help First-Time Buyers Navigate a Volatile Market
The Canadian First‑Home Savings Account (FHSA) provides first‑time buyers a tax‑advantaged vehicle to save for a home amid a volatile market. Contributions are limited to CAD 8,000 per year (≈US $5,900) with a lifetime cap of CAD 40,000 (≈US $29,500), and qualified withdrawals are...
Buy on the Dip Prospects: March 25 Edition
The March 25 “Buy on the Dip” prospects list flags 150 ETFs that meet a dual‑trend screen—50‑day moving average above the 200‑day average and price below the five‑day average—while also clearing a one‑million‑share liquidity threshold. The selection mirrors the recent U.S....
This Corner of the EM Bond Market Is Worth Checking Out
Emerging‑market corporate bonds are delivering yields well above U.S. benchmarks, and the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Corporate Bond Fund (EMCB) exemplifies this trend with a 5.07% SEC yield. The actively managed ETF holds a 3.97‑year effective duration, positioning it as an...
Is Altcoin Season Finally Back?
Altcoin enthusiasm is resurging as the CoinShares Altcoins ETF (DIME) climbed more than 5% in the past month, signaling investor confidence in higher‑quality altcoins. At the same time, Bitcoin's market dominance is slipping, prompting a rotation from the flagship coin...
All That Glitters: Gold’s Exceptional Performance in 2025 and Portfolio Implications
Gold delivered the strongest return among major asset classes in 2025, climbing roughly 64% and breaching $5,000 per ounce in early 2026 with an 18% January surge. The rally was fueled by heightened geopolitical risk, a weaker U.S. dollar, aggressive...
Sell on the Pop Prospects: March 18 Edition
The March 18 Sell‑on‑the‑Pop Prospects list highlights 46 ETFs that meet a two‑step technical screen: a 50‑day moving average below the 200‑day average indicating a longer‑term downtrend, and a price above the 20‑day average suggesting a short‑term pop. A liquidity...
Top Performing Leveraged/Inverse ETFs: 03/15/2026
The latest weekly ranking of leveraged and inverse ETFs shows HIMZ soaring 120.5% after Defiance’s partnership with Novo Nordisk boosted Hims & Hers shares. Gold‑miner inverse products such as GDXD and JDST posted strong gains as a stronger dollar and higher Treasury...
VettaFi Tracks the “ETF Flight Path” At Exchange
The ETF market has surged from under 2,000 funds a decade ago to over 5,000 today, compressing development timelines and eroding white‑space for new issuers. VettaFi’s leaders emphasized that successful launches now require coordinated index design, product narrative, and distribution...
The Baron Capital Blueprint: An Active Solution For True Growth
Baron Capital’s First Principles ETF (RONB) uses a deep‑research, first‑principles framework to identify long‑term growth leaders amid the AI‑driven 2026 market. The fund, managed by Ron, David, and Michael Baron, targets companies with intrinsic value, visionary leadership, and sustainable moats,...
Two ETFs That Solve The Small-Cap Profitability Problem
The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) dominates small‑cap exposure but its market‑cap weighting includes many unprofitable “zombie” firms, especially problematic in today’s inflationary climate. VictoryShares’ SFLO and Invesco’s QVMS address this by screening for profitability—SFLO via high free‑cash‑flow yields and QVMS...
Move Over, Tech
U.S. equity markets are moving beyond a technology‑centric rally as the S&P 500 Equal‑Weight index posts its best year‑to‑date start since 1992, beating the cap‑weighted S&P 500 by 4.2 %. Strong earnings growth is spreading across materials, consumer staples, and energy, while GDP...
Momentum Shifts Away From Big Tech Leaders
Momentum‑based indexes are engineered to chase relative price strength rather than traditional valuation metrics. As market leadership shifts, these strategies automatically rotate into the strongest performers, resulting in high portfolio turnover that is a core characteristic, not a side effect....
What Investors Need to Know About Sequence-of-Returns Risk
Sequence‑of‑returns risk describes how the order of market gains and losses can dramatically affect retirement portfolios, especially when withdrawals begin early. The article explains that two retirees with identical average returns can end up with vastly different outcomes depending on...
What VEVAL's Rebalance Signals for Market Exposure
VEVAL’s latest rebalance signal underscores how index‑based funds automatically adjust market exposure as sector leadership evolves. The built‑in rebalancing schedule realigns portfolio weightings, mitigating concentration risk without active manager input. By tracking these signals, investors can gauge when the index...
Thematic ETFs and Volatility: What Self‑Directed Investors Should Know
Research firm ETFGI reports thematic ETFs assets surged nearly 50% in 2025, reaching about $468 billion by November. The growth marks the first annual net inflow streak in twelve months, reversing previous outflows. Investor appetite remains strong globally, driven by sector‑specific...
Donoghue Forlines Lists Risk-Managed ETF on NYSE ARCA
The DF Tactical 30 ETF (ticker DFTT) began trading on NYSE ARCA on November 12, 2025, offering a rules‑based, risk‑managed exposure to large‑cap momentum stocks. The fund follows the DF Risk‑Managed Tactical Top 30 Index, which rotates quarterly among the thirty...
Buy on the Dip Prospects: March 4 Edition
The March 4 edition flags 109 ETFs that satisfy a dual‑screen: a long‑term uptrend (50‑day MA above 200‑day MA) and a short‑term dip (price below the five‑day MA). The list emphasizes semiconductor funds such as SOXL, SMH and SOXX, which fell...
Top Performing Leveraged/Inverse ETFs: 03/01/2026
Leveraged and inverse ETFs posted strong weekly gains, with Defiance’s IONX leading at 36.79% after IonQ’s earnings surge. Gold‑related leveraged products such as GDXU, AGQ, and NUGT posted 20%‑plus returns driven by rising precious‑metal prices amid Middle‑East tensions. Regional and...
How Factor Investing Behaves Across Global Markets
Factor investing relies on five core characteristics—value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size—to capture distinct return patterns. While the framework is applied worldwide, factor performance can diverge dramatically across markets. Local market structure, macroeconomic conditions, and investor behavior dictate whether...
Covered Call ETFs Explained: Income, Upside Limits, and Volatility Protection
Covered call ETFs are gaining traction among Canadian self‑directed investors seeking higher distribution yields than traditional equities or bonds. These funds generate cash flow by writing call options against the underlying portfolio, delivering enhanced income in volatile markets. While they...
Concentration Risk: How Overexposure Can Amplify Volatility in Your Portfolio
Concentration risk—excessive weighting to a single security, sector, or region—becomes especially problematic during periods of heightened volatility. The article highlights how Canadian portfolios are often overly exposed to specific industries, amplifying market swings. It explains that such structural vulnerabilities can...
Option ETF Popularity Showcases Need for Portfolio Security
Option‑strategy ETFs have hit a new record, attracting roughly $65 billion of inflows projected for 2025. The Calamos Laddered S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF (CPSL) exemplifies this trend by bundling twelve monthly Calamos Structured Protection ETFs into a single ticker. CPSL...
Sell on the Pop Prospects: February 25 Edition
The February 25 edition highlights eleven ETFs that qualify as sell‑on‑the‑pop candidates, using a dual‑moving‑average filter (50‑day below 200‑day) and a short‑term price above the 20‑day average. A liquidity screen excludes funds trading under one‑million shares. The list reflects broader market...
Beyond 60/40: Rethinking Asset Allocation in a Changing Market
JP Morgan’s 2026 Outlook warns that the classic 60/40 stock‑bond mix now leaves many portfolios overly weighted in a handful of mega‑cap technology names. The firm argues that diversification is not obsolete but evolving, as low‑yield bonds and equity concentration erode...
Stars Aligning for Upside by This Gold ETF
The WisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Gold Miners Strategy Fund (GDMN) has surged roughly 42% since the start of 2026, reflecting a broader rally in gold prices. The World Gold Council attributes the rally to heightened geopolitical risk and the prospect of rising...
Reducing Home Country Bias: The Benefits of International Equity ETFs
Canadian investors continue to allocate a disproportionate share of their assets to domestic equities, a pattern known as home‑country bias. Recent data shows Canadian portfolios hold roughly fifteen times more Canadian exposure than a globally balanced benchmark would suggest. International...
How Hedged Equity ETFs Work to Manage Market Risk
Hedged equity exchange‑traded funds (ETFs) are gaining traction as investors seek to protect equity exposure amid weakening stock‑bond correlations. The International Monetary Fund notes that the historic negative relationship between equities and bonds eroded after the 2019 pandemic, reducing the...
Are Factor Strategies Built to Beat the Market
Factor investing—targeting systematic risk premia such as value, momentum, and low‑volatility—has become a cornerstone of many ETF portfolios. Recent data reviewed in the article shows that while certain factor ETFs can outperform the broad market in specific cycles, their edge...
Top Performing Leveraged/Inverse ETFs: 02/22/2026
Last week’s leveraged and inverse ETFs delivered standout returns, led by ProShares Ultra Silver (AGQ) with a 19.04% gain as silver rallied on heightened trade and geopolitical risk. Direxion’s South Korea Bull 3X (KORU) posted a 17.22% jump, fueled by...
Disruptive Theme of the Week: Some Surprise Winners YTD
The week’s disruptive theme spotlights unexpected YTD winners, led by wet and dry shipping ETFs, South Korean market exposure, and oil‑service funds. Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF (BWET) surged 100% and Breakwave Dry Bulk Shipping ETF (BDRY) climbed 31% as VLCC...
Broad-Based Growth in 4Q25 Midstream/MLP Dividends
Midstream dividend growth remains robust, with 92.7% of AMNA constituents raising payouts year‑over‑year and no dividend cuts since July 2021. Both MLPs and corporations delivered sequential increases in Q4 2025, highlighted by Plains All American’s 9.9% hike. The sector’s strong cash‑flow generation...
Why Fixed Income ETFs Are Going Active
Fixed‑income ETFs have surged, yet most remain passive, contrasting sharply with the active dominance in mutual‑funds. J.P. Morgan’s report notes 85 % of global fixed‑income mutual‑fund assets are actively managed, while only about 17 % of fixed‑income ETF assets use active strategies....
Navigating the Yield Crunch with Options-Based ETFs
Options-based ETFs surged in 2025, attracting $54 billion of new capital. Total assets under management climbed to $127 billion, underscoring a structural shift toward derivative‑driven income solutions. JPMorgan’s Hamilton Reiner attributes the growth to intentional low‑beta designs that help investors navigate a...
How Bond Ladder ETFs Reimagine Retirement Income Strategies
Bond ladder ETFs are emerging as a transparent alternative for retirees seeking steady, inflation‑protected income. The Northern Trust 2045 Inflation‑Linked Distributing Ladder ETF (TIPC) structures a 20‑year ladder of TIPS, delivering annual principal payouts as each rung matures. By evenly...
CLO ETFs: The “Arms Race” Heats Up
CLO ETFs have surged into the mainstream, pulling in $4 billion of net inflows in the first six weeks of 2026. Total assets now top $35 billion, more than doubling in just over a year, with most money flowing into AAA‑rated funds....
High-Yield Prospects: February 18 Edition
The February 18 edition spotlights ETFs that deliver at least a 5% annual dividend yield, hold over $100 million in assets, and trade with a 20‑day average volume above 0.5 million shares. The list features a mix of traditional dividend funds, leveraged products,...
ETF of the Week: NEOS Russell 2000 High Income ETF (IWMI)
VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth highlighted the NEOS Russell 2000 High Income ETF (IWMI) on the latest “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe. IWMI seeks to deliver elevated dividend yields by targeting high‑yielding constituents of the Russell...
Buy on the Dip Prospects: February 11 Edition
The February 11 edition spotlights ETFs that meet a dual‑criteria “buy on the dip” framework. Each fund is in a confirmed uptrend, with its 50‑day moving average above the 200‑day moving average, while currently trading beneath its five‑day moving average, indicating...
Top Performing Leveraged/Inverse ETFs: 02/08/2026
The weekly ranking released on February 8, 2026 highlights that several 3‑times leveraged ETFs posted double‑digit gains, while inverse funds delivered strong returns amid heightened market volatility. The top long‑leveraged performers—such as ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ), Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X (SPXL)...
