Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are often low-cost instruments for investors to track popular indexes or leverage experienced manager choices in an attempt to beat the market. The best ones serve as building blocks for a portfolio, and unlike open-end mutual funds, all ETFs are traded throughout the day on an exchange.
In November 2024, the top-performing ETFs included equity technology funds VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators DAPP and Global X Blockchain BKCH. Data in this article is sourced from Morningstar Direct.
Screening for the Best-Performing ETFs
To find the month’s best-performing ETFs, we screened those in Morningstar’s equity, allocation, or fixed-income categories that are available in the UK. We excluded exchange-traded notes, known as ETNs, and ETFs with less than $25 million (£19.7 million) in total assets. 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.
The 10 Best-Performing ETFs for November 2024
1. VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF DAPP
2. Global X Blockchain UCITS ETF BKCH
3. WisdomTree Blockchain UCITS ETF WBLK
4. iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF BLKC
5. VanEck Space Innovators UCITS ETF JEDI
6. Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain UCITS ETF BCHN
7. WisdomTree Cloud Computing UCITS ETF WCLD
8. Invesco KBW NASDAQ Fintech UCITS ETF FTEK
9. First Trust Cloud Computing UCITS ETF SKYU
10. iShares S&P US Banks ETF BNKS
Best-Performing ETFs Available in the UK
Source: Morningstar Direct.
Metrics for the Best-Performing ETFs
VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★
• Expense Ratio: 0.65%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
The £253 million VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators was the best-performing ETF in November, with a 42.09% return. The passively managed VanEck ETF beat the 5.63% gain on the average fund in Morningstar’s equity technology category for the month. Over the last 12 months, the ETF has returned 170.98%, outperforming the 28.17% gain on the average fund in its category, leaving it in the 1st percentile.
VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Bronze. It was launched in April 2021.
Global X Blockchain UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Expense Ratio: 0.50%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
The second-best performing ETF in November was the £23 million Global X Blockchain. The passively managed Global X ETF returned 41.85%, outperforming the average equity technology fund, which gained 5.63%. Looking back over the last 12 months, the ETF has returned 133.84%, outperforming the 28.17% return on the average fund in its category, leaving it in the 2nd percentile.
The Neutral-rated Global X Blockchain was launched in January 2022.
WisdomTree Blockchain UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Expense Ratio: 0.45%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
The £20 million WisdomTree Blockchain ranked third for the month, returning 39.08%. The WisdomTree ETF, which is passively managed, topped the 5.63% average return on funds in the equity technology category for November. Over the last 12 months, the WisdomTree ETF has returned 137.00%, ahead of the 28.17% gain on the average fund in its category, leaving the ETF in the 2nd percentile.
WisdomTree Blockchain, launched in September 2022, has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Bronze.
iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Expense Ratio: 0.49%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
With a 38.86% return, the £70 million iShares Blockchain Technology ranked fourth in November. The passively managed iShares ETF outperformed the 5.63% return on the average equity technology fund. Over the last 12 months, the fund has gained 115.48%, ahead of the 28.17% return on funds in its category, placing it in the 2nd percentile for the period.
iShares Blockchain Technology has a Bronze Morningstar Medalist Rating. It was launched in September 2022.
VanEck Space Innovators UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Expense Ratio: 0.55%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Industrial Materials
The fifth-best performing ETF was the £25 million VanEck Space Innovators, which gained 28.61% in November. This passively managed VanEck ETF beat the 3.16% average return on funds in the equity industrial materials category. Over the past year, the VanEck Space Innovators rose 59.28%, outperforming the 19.16% return on the average fund in its category and placing it in the 1st percentile.
VanEck Space Innovators takes environmental, social, and governance criteria into consideration. This fund has a Negative Morningstar Medalist Rating, meaning that our analysts expect it to be one of the worst performers within its category and think it is unlikely to deliver positive returns after fees.
HSBC NASDAQ Global Semiconductor UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★★
• Expense Ratio: 0.65%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
The £587 million Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain was the sixth-best performing UK ETF in November, with a 23.70% return. The return on the passively managed Invesco ETF topped the 5.63% gain on the average fund in Morningstar’s equity technology category. Looking back over the last 12 months, Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain has returned 66.73%, outperforming the 28.17% return on the average fund in its category, leaving the ETF in the 5th percentile.
The Bronze-rated Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain was launched in March 2019.
WisdomTree Cloud Computing UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★
• Expense Ratio: 0.40%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
The seventh-best performing ETF in November was the £260 million WisdomTree Cloud Computing. The passively managed WisdomTree ETF returned 20.29%, outperforming the average equity technology fund, which gained 5.63%. Looking back over the last 12 months, the ETF has returned 25.38%, underperforming the 28.17% return on the average fund in its category, leaving the ETF in the 55th percentile.
WisdomTree Cloud Computing has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Bronze. It was launched in September 2019.
Invesco KBW NASDAQ Fintech UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★★
• Expense Ratio: 0.49%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
The £59 million Invesco KBW NASDAQ Fintech ranked eighth for the month, returning 19.79%. The Invesco ETF, which is passively managed, topped the 5.63% average gain on funds in the equity technology category. Over the last 12 months, the Invesco ETF has returned 62.80%, ahead of the 28.17% return on the average fund in its category, leaving it in the 6th percentile for performance.
The Bronze-rated Invesco KBW NASDAQ Fintech was launched in March 2017.
First Trust Cloud Computing UCITS ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★★★
• Expense Ratio: 0.60%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology
With a 17.27% gain, the £347 million First Trust Cloud Computing ranked ninth in November. The passively managed First Trust ETF outperformed the 5.63% return on the average equity technology fund. Over the last 12 months, the fund has returned 48.30%, ahead of the 28.17% return on funds in its category, placing it in the 8th percentile.
First Trust Cloud Computing, launched in December 2018, has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Bronze.
iShares S&P US Banks ETF
• Morningstar Rating: ★
• Expense Ratio: 0.35%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Financial Services
The tenth-best performing ETF was the £497 million iShares S&P US Banks ETF, which gained 15.43% in November. The passively managed iShares ETF beat the 5.74% average return on funds in the equity financial services category. Over the past year, the iShares ETF rose 59.16%, outperforming the 33.26% return on the average fund in its category and placing it in the 3rd percentile.
The iShares S&P US Banks ETF has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Neutral. It was launched in May 2018.
What Are ETFs?
Exchange-traded funds are investments that trade throughout the day on stock exchanges, much like individual stocks. They differ from traditional mutual funds─known as open-end funds─which can only be bought or sold at a single price each day. Historically, ETFs have tracked indexes, but in recent years, more ETFs have been actively managed. ETFs cover a range of asset classes, including stocks, bonds, commodities, and most recently cryptocurrency.
The Best ETFs: More Ideas to Consider
Investors who would like to find more of the top-performing or cheapest ETFs can do the following:
• Read the latest articles on ETFs.
• Use the ETF screener to find the best ETFs according to your specific criteria. You can search for funds based on their fees, Morningstar Medalist Ratings, manager tenures, and more.
• Compare funds and ETFs side by side and easily follow their valuations, ratings, and fees.
This article was compiled by Bella Albrecht, edited by Lauren Solberg, and reviewed by Sunniva Kolostyak.
This article was generated with the help of automation and reviewed by Morningstar editors. Learn more about Morningstar’s use of automation.
The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar's editorial policies.
