As the market moves into June, the S&P 500 has clawed back all of its losses from the bearish months of March and April and is now hovering around breakeven since Jan. 1. There’s no way of knowing for sure where things will wind up by the end of 2025, of course, but after the recent rebound there are signs of hope on Wall Street once more.
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And with Congress cruising toward its summer recess and favorable first-quarter earnings reports from mega-cap tech stocks that dominate the major indexes, now may be the time to capitalize on that sentiment with investments that are a bit more “risk on.”
The following seven ETFs are largely growth-oriented options looking to harness recent momentum in discrete investment opportunities. Uncertainty still remains, however, and past performance is never a guarantee of future returns, but right now these are some top exchange-traded funds worth a look in June:
| ETF | Assets | Expense Ratio |
| Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF (ticker: SPMO) | $6 billion | 0.13% |
| iShares Gold Trust (IAU) | $46 billion | 0.25% |
| Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) | $30 billion | 0.06% |
| iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) | $3.7 billion | 0.59% |
| iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) | $57 billion | 0.25% |
| iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) | $6.4 billion | 0.40% |
| Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH) | $41 billion | 0.03% |
Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF (SPMO)
Assets under management: $6 billion Expense ratio: 0.13%, or $13 annually on $10,000 invested
Compared with just a few months ago, market sentiment looks pretty good right now. That’s evidenced by the fact that the S&P 500 is up more than 20% from its 52-week low in April. As such, it may be worth focusing on companies that have made a big move lately to harness the power of this rebound. SPMO subscribes to this momentum-friendly approach by zeroing in on the top 100 performers in the large-cap-focused S&P 500, and excluding the rest. Right now, that places Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) and Meta Platforms Inc. (META) among its top holdings. And considering those stocks have a 30-day return of about 25% and 35%, respectively, the power of following momentum in the current moment should be clear.
iShares Gold Trust (IAU)
Assets: $46 billion Expense ratio: 0.25%
Gold has significantly outperformed both stocks and bonds so far in 2025 thanks to its low-risk and inflation-protected positioning. And even if the market has fought back from its spring lows, IAU remains very much in favor with shares up 25% this year. That shouldn’t be surprising to goldbugs, who believe in the precious metal’s low-risk potential as a store of hard value — and that support is unlikely to change anytime soon, given persistent economic uncertainty. Note: For more aggressive investors, plays on gold mining stocks also remain hot. These include the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) and the small-cap focused VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ), both of which are up more than 50% since Jan. 1.
Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK)
Assets: $30 billion Expense ratio: 0.06%
Thanks to the resilience of the eurozone amid the U.S.-China trade conflict, some of the top-performing ETFs this year include plays on smaller European Union economies. These include the iShares MSCI Poland ETF (EPOL), Global X MSCI Greece ETF (GREK) and iShares MSCI Austria ETF (EWO) — all of which are up 35% or more since Jan. 1. Obviously these smaller and highly focused regions carry a bit more risk, so for those who simply want to tap into the broader outperformance of many EU stocks in 2025, there is this leading Vanguard index fund that holds more than 1,200 leading companies on the continent. Despite this geographic focus outside the U.S., many of these companies will be quite familiar, including Swiss consumer giant Nestle SA (OTC: NSRGY) and Dutch chipmaker ASML Holding NV (ASML), among others.
iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ)
Assets: $3.7 billion Expense ratio: 0.59%
One of the big trends we’ve seen amid the fight between the U.S. and China is a rebalancing of trade partnerships elsewhere. And one region that has decidedly benefited is Brazil, which is one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products. If China reduces imports from the U.S., then Brazil is set to benefit — particularly given its No. 1 spot in the important soybean marketplace. EWZ is the largest and most established way to play Brazil, though admittedly it has many other sectors other than agriculture covered in the fund. Still, if you want a unique way to play the rebalancing of trade in 2025, this iShares fund could be it.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT)
Assets: $57 billion Expense ratio: 0.25%
IBIT enables investors to get exposure to Bitcoin through the convenience of an exchange-traded fund. While some crypto advocates are all about Bitcoin as a way to sidestep Wall Street and traditional banks, others simply want a foothold in the alternative asset — and this iShares fund does that by removing the operational and custody complexities of holding Bitcoin directly in a digital wallet. While not quite 1-to-1 with “physical” Bitcoin prices, the fund is up about 12% this year to get pretty darn close to the performance of this leading crypto asset. And with the Trump administration hinting at a wave of crypto-friendly moves in D.C., now may be the time to consider this top Bitcoin ETF.
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA)
Assets: $6.4 billion Expense ratio: 0.4%
Global defense industry spending has grown consistently in recent years, for obvious reasons. There has been a steady ramping up of tensions in the Middle East as well as worsening geopolitical relations between the U.S. and China. And with a recent warning from top U.S. senators that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to escalate the war in Ukraine, the importance of the aerospace and defense industry is clear. ITA is a focused fund that has just shy of 40 total holdings, including leading global defense names like GE Aerospace (GE), RTX Corp. (RTX) and Boeing Co. (BA). The fund has strong momentum, up about 20% so far this year, but is also a defensive name (pardon the pun) that shouldn’t be as sensitive to any consumer or business pullbacks.
Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF (VCSH)
Assets: $41 billion Expense ratio: 0.03%
While markets seem to have stabilized, it’s worth noting that uncertainty is still an issue for many investors. And with a comparatively higher interest rate environment, this short-term corporate bond fund has a 4.7% payout despite one of the most rock-solid risk profiles on Wall Street. The stability of VCSH comes from its duration, as longer-dated funds take more time for older bonds to roll off and be replaced, and who knows where things will be in 10 or 20 years. But with an average duration under three years and a focus only on the most creditworthy corporations, such as Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), this fund finds a way to deliver a yield that is more than three times the typical S&P 500 stock.
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7 Best ETFs to Buy Now originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 06/03/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
