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Wall Street has witnessed wild swings in March, with the S&P 500 entering correction (down 10% from its recent high in February) territory on March 18 for the first time since 2023. With just a couple of days left to end March, the index is down 4.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index plummeted 6.7% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.7%.
Despite the broad-based decline, a few corners of the stock market have outperformed. We have highlighted five top-performing ETFs from different industries that were the leaders in March. These are Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF (COPJ - Free Report) , Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ - Free Report) , Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD - Free Report) , US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU - Free Report) and Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF (OWNB - Free Report) .
The ongoing trade uncertainty under the new administration has raised concerns about growing inflation and a slowing economy in the United States. Escalation in geopolitical tensions also added to the woes. The barrage of recent data, including surveys and sentiment indicators, indicates a downturn in the economy.
Though the Fed, in its latest meeting, reaffirmed its forecast for two rate cuts this year, it expects higher inflation and slower economic growth. This has raised heightened volatility and uncertainty in the market. The combination has led to risk-off trade, raising the appeal for safe haven avenues and lower-risk play.
In particular, the mining sector has been in the spotlight, with gold and silver stocks being the winners. Trade war worries and geopolitical tensions enhance gold and silver's attractiveness to investors. Both metals are often used as a means of preserving wealth during times of financial and political uncertainty and usually do well when other asset classes struggle.
Meanwhile, copper touched new all-time highs, driven by the possibility of hefty import tariffs on the crucial industrial metal and on reports of halted shipments from top producer Chile.
Let’s dig into the details of the abovementioned ETFs:
Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF is the only pure-play ETF focused on small copper miners, selected for their potential for significant revenue and asset growth by tracking the Nasdaq Sprott Junior Copper Miners Index. It holds 40 stocks in its basket, with Canadian firms taking the largest share at 49.5%. Australia and the United States round off the next two spots.
Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF has AUM of $15.7 million and trades in a lower average daily volume of 9,000 shares. It charges 78 bps in annual fees and expenses (read: 5 Sector ETFs That Have Outperformed the S&P 500 in Q1).
Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF is the first ETF to target small-cap silver miners. It provides exposure to companies engaged in the silver mining industry that derive the majority of their revenues from silver mining, global silver production, or exploration and development activities related to new silver production by tracking the Nasdaq Junior Silver Miners Index. Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF holds 53 stocks in its basket, with Canadian firms taking the lion’s share at 55%, while the United States takes 20.4% exposure.
SILJ has managed assets worth $1.1 billion and trades in a good volume of nearly 3 million shares a day. It charges 69 bps in annual fees.
With AUM of $1.2 billion, Global X Defense Tech ETF seeks to invest in companies positioned to benefit from the increased adoption and utilization of defense technology. It tracks the Global X Defense Tech Index and holds 37 stocks in its basket.
US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU - Free Report) – Up 12.6%
US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF provides investors access to companies engaged in the production of precious metals either through active (mining or production) or passive (owning royalties or production streams) means. It tracks the U.S. Global Go Gold and Precious Metal Miners Index, holding 32 stocks in its basket. Canada takes the lion’s share at 71%, followed by Australia (15.4%), the United States (9.8%) and South Africa (3.9%).
GOAU has amassed $106.2 million in its asset base and charges 60 bps in fees per year. It trades in a volume of 28,000 shares per day on average.
Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF (OWNB - Free Report) – Up 12.2%
Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF is an equity index fund that provides exposure to companies that hold at least 1,000 bitcoins on their balance sheets. It holds 26 stocks in its basket with a concentration on the top four firms (read: Bitcoin May End Q1 in Red: What's Ahead for ETFs?).
Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF has accumulated $4 million in its asset base and trades in average daily volume of 25,000 shares. It charges 85 bps in fees and expenses.
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5 Sector ETFs Thriving in March
Wall Street has witnessed wild swings in March, with the S&P 500 entering correction (down 10% from its recent high in February) territory on March 18 for the first time since 2023. With just a couple of days left to end March, the index is down 4.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index plummeted 6.7% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.7%.
Despite the broad-based decline, a few corners of the stock market have outperformed. We have highlighted five top-performing ETFs from different industries that were the leaders in March. These are Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF (COPJ - Free Report) , Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ - Free Report) , Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD - Free Report) , US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU - Free Report) and Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF (OWNB - Free Report) .
The ongoing trade uncertainty under the new administration has raised concerns about growing inflation and a slowing economy in the United States. Escalation in geopolitical tensions also added to the woes. The barrage of recent data, including surveys and sentiment indicators, indicates a downturn in the economy.
Though the Fed, in its latest meeting, reaffirmed its forecast for two rate cuts this year, it expects higher inflation and slower economic growth. This has raised heightened volatility and uncertainty in the market. The combination has led to risk-off trade, raising the appeal for safe haven avenues and lower-risk play.
In particular, the mining sector has been in the spotlight, with gold and silver stocks being the winners. Trade war worries and geopolitical tensions enhance gold and silver's attractiveness to investors. Both metals are often used as a means of preserving wealth during times of financial and political uncertainty and usually do well when other asset classes struggle.
Meanwhile, copper touched new all-time highs, driven by the possibility of hefty import tariffs on the crucial industrial metal and on reports of halted shipments from top producer Chile.
Let’s dig into the details of the abovementioned ETFs:
Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF (COPJ - Free Report) – Up 14.1%
Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF is the only pure-play ETF focused on small copper miners, selected for their potential for significant revenue and asset growth by tracking the Nasdaq Sprott Junior Copper Miners Index. It holds 40 stocks in its basket, with Canadian firms taking the largest share at 49.5%. Australia and the United States round off the next two spots.
Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF has AUM of $15.7 million and trades in a lower average daily volume of 9,000 shares. It charges 78 bps in annual fees and expenses (read: 5 Sector ETFs That Have Outperformed the S&P 500 in Q1).
Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF (SILJ - Free Report) – Up 13.8%
Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF is the first ETF to target small-cap silver miners. It provides exposure to companies engaged in the silver mining industry that derive the majority of their revenues from silver mining, global silver production, or exploration and development activities related to new silver production by tracking the Nasdaq Junior Silver Miners Index. Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF holds 53 stocks in its basket, with Canadian firms taking the lion’s share at 55%, while the United States takes 20.4% exposure.
SILJ has managed assets worth $1.1 billion and trades in a good volume of nearly 3 million shares a day. It charges 69 bps in annual fees.
Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD - Free Report) – Up 13.1%
With AUM of $1.2 billion, Global X Defense Tech ETF seeks to invest in companies positioned to benefit from the increased adoption and utilization of defense technology. It tracks the Global X Defense Tech Index and holds 37 stocks in its basket.
Global X Defense Tech ETF charges 50 bps in annual fees and trades in an average daily volume of 556,000 shares (read: 5 International ETFs Beating the S&P 500 in 2025).
US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU - Free Report) – Up 12.6%
US Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF provides investors access to companies engaged in the production of precious metals either through active (mining or production) or passive (owning royalties or production streams) means. It tracks the U.S. Global Go Gold and Precious Metal Miners Index, holding 32 stocks in its basket. Canada takes the lion’s share at 71%, followed by Australia (15.4%), the United States (9.8%) and South Africa (3.9%).
GOAU has amassed $106.2 million in its asset base and charges 60 bps in fees per year. It trades in a volume of 28,000 shares per day on average.
Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF (OWNB - Free Report) – Up 12.2%
Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF is an equity index fund that provides exposure to companies that hold at least 1,000 bitcoins on their balance sheets. It holds 26 stocks in its basket with a concentration on the top four firms (read: Bitcoin May End Q1 in Red: What's Ahead for ETFs?).
Bitwise Bitcoin Standard Corporations ETF has accumulated $4 million in its asset base and trades in average daily volume of 25,000 shares. It charges 85 bps in fees and expenses.