Wall Street saw another sluggish trading day, with the three major indices declining nearly 2.5% as the “Sell America” trade intensified. The political tension has reemerged amid the ongoing trade tariff gyrations. 

President Donald Trump criticized the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him "a major loser" on social media for not lowering interest rates in response to the economic impact of recent tariffs. Last week, he said Powell’s termination “cannot come fast enough,” raising concerns that the President would seek to fire the central banker. This has raised concerns about the Federal Reserve's independence and contributed to market volatility.

Trade tension with China also intensified after China said it would retaliate against countries that cooperate with the United States on trade deals that hurt its interests. 

What’s Down, What’s Up?

The sell-off was broad-based, with nearly every company in the Dow and S&P 500 ending the day in the red. All three major indexes are coming off a losing week and are on track for their worst monthly performance since 2022.

The U.S. dollar index, which measures the basket of currencies, lost more than 1% to hit its lowest level in three years. The 10-year yields surged above 4.4%. Generally, investors seek out safe havens like U.S. government bonds and the dollar when stocks tumble. This time, it's happening differently because investors are losing faith in the domestic economy (read: ETFs to Benefit as U.S. Dollar Slumps on Fading Trust). 

However, the Swiss franc is once again living up to its name as a safe haven. Precious metals like gold and silver are making the most of the safe-haven demand appeal. Gold surged to a new all-time high, topping the $3,500 level while silver gained nearly 2% to $32.80. 

Amid the market turmoil, low volatility and low beta products have been in vogue. These ETFs have the potential to outpace the broader market in an uncertain environment, providing significant protection to the portfolio. This is because these funds include more stable stocks that have experienced the least price movement in their portfolio. These funds allocate more to defensive sectors that usually have a higher distribution yield than the broader markets.

Further, cash-like ETFs or short-term bond ETFs are garnering immense investors’ interest. Allocating more to cash-like ETFs or short-term bond ETFs can offer stability and liquidity, especially as uncertainty clouds the outlook for equities. These funds invest in ultra-short-term bonds and help investors keep aside money for a couple of weeks to a few months with almost no risk. In times of market downturns, these can act as a hedge, protecting the portfolio from significant losses. 

Given this, a few ETFs from these zones are making new 52-week highs amid the market turmoil. We have highlighted them below:

SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD Quick QuoteGLD - Free Report) ) – 52-Week High: $316.41

SPDR Gold Trust ETF tracks the price of gold bullion measured in U.S. dollars and kept in London under the custody of HSBC Bank USA. GLD is an ultra-popular gold ETF with an AUM of $99.1 billion and a heavy volume of about 13 million shares a day. SPDR Gold Trust ETF charges 40 bps in fees per year from investors and has soared 26.4% this year. It has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a Medium risk outlook (read: Gold Dazzles: Amplify Returns With Leveraged ETFs).

Global X Silver Miners ETF (SIL Quick QuoteSIL - Free Report) ) – 52-Week High: $42.95

Global X Silver Miners ETF provides investors access to a broad range of silver mining companies by tracking the Solactive Global Silver Miners Total Return Index. It holds 33 stocks in its basket with Canadian firms making up 65.3% of the assets. Global X Silver Miners ETF has AUM of $1.6 billion and trades in average daily volume of 1.3 million shares. It charges 65 bps in annual fees and has surged 30.8% this year.

Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust (FXF Quick QuoteFXF - Free Report) ) – 52-Week High: $110.36

Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust is designed to track the price of the Swiss franc. It has amassed $424.5 million and charges 40 bps in annual fees. Invesco CurrencyShares Swiss Franc Trust trades in an average daily volume of 185,000 shares and is up 10.7% this year. It has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a High risk outlook (read: 6 ETFs Showing Great Resilience Amid Market Sell-Offs).

iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF (EFAV Quick QuoteEFAV - Free Report) ) - 52-Week High: $80.95

iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF offers exposure to stocks in Europe, Australia, Asia and the Far East that have lower volatility characteristics relative to the broader developed equity markets, excluding the United States and Canada. It follows the MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility (USD) Index and holds 228 securities in its basket. iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF has AUM of $5 billion and trades in volume of 717,000 shares a day on average. It charges 20 bps in annual fees and has gained 13.2% so far this year. EFAV has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a Low risk outlook.

Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF (BOXX Quick QuoteBOXX - Free Report) ) - 52-Week High: $111.80

Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF is an options-based alternative to an ultra-short duration bond position. It seeks to provide investment results that equal or exceed the price and yield performance of an investment that tracks the 1-3-month sector of the United States Treasury Bill market. Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF charges 19 bps in annual fees and has AUM of $5.8 billion. It trades in an average daily volume of 1 million shares and has added 1.3% this year.