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Top Performing ETFs in 2025: +50% Returns YTD and Growing
Top Picks for Bold Investors Looking To Outpace The S&P 500 In 2025


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👉️ 2 Week Deadline: Israel-Iran Conflict Adds Uncertainty In The Markets 🤔
👉️ 2 of The Top Performing ETFs in 2025: +50% Returns and Growing 📈
👉️ Scale Your Portfolio With Proven Strategies: Generate Cash Flow From Stocks That Don’t Pay A Dividend 💰️


“The person who turns over the most rocks wins the game.”



Donald Trump has set a 2 week deadline to decide on the U.S.’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, which created market uncertainty.
European foreign ministers from France, the UK and Germany met Iran’s counterpart in Geneva to de-escalate tensions and resume negotiations about nuclear warfare.
All while Fed Reserve Governor Chris Waller suggested possible rate cuts in July due to flat inflation rates despite current Tariffs. The market still believes this will be pushed to September.
The conflict in the middle-east really is devastating, but from an investing standpoint, it may be time to start looking into defence stocks.
I will be covering this topic inside The Profit Academy.
If you want in, click here.

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2 Of The Top Performing ETFs in 2025 (+50% Returns)
ETFs, a diversified investors best friend.
Most lag behind individual stock performance, but today, we’re covering 3 ETFs with over 20% YTD returns.
VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF $GDXJ ( ▼ 2.38% )
Global X Defense Tech ETF $SHLD ( ▲ 0.05% )
Here’s a breakdown of their top holdings, strategies, asset allocations, expense ratios, and some pros and cons.
1) VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF $GDXJ ( ▼ 2.38% )

YTD Return: 49.90% (as of June 21, 2025)
Top Holdings: Evolution Mining Limited (6.63%), Alamos Gold Inc. (6.09%) and Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (6.04%).
Investments: Seeks to replicate as closely as possible the price and yield performance of the MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners Index, which is intended to track the overall performance of small-cap companies that are involved primarily in the mining for gold and/or silver. It holds a portfolio of small gold miners, some of which are in early exploratory stages with upside potential.
Asset Allocation: ~80% gold mining and ~20% silver mining.
Expense Ratio: 0.51%.
Pros: High upside potential due to exposure to gold. Diversified across 92 holdings; 1.71% dividend yield.
Cons: Sensitive to the price of commodities. Exposed to junior miners which can cause further volatility.
2) Global X Defense Tech ETF $SHLD ( ▲ 0.05% )

YTD Return: 56.60% (as of June 21, 2025)
Top Holdings: Palantir Technologies (11.17%), Rheinmetall AG (11.05%) and RTX Corporation (6.42%).
Investments: Seeks to invest in companies positioned to benefit from the increased adoption and global utilization of defense technology, including companies that build and manage cybersecurity systems, use artificial intelligence and big data, and build advanced military systems and hardware such as robotics, fuel systems, and aircrafts for defense applications.
Asset Allocation: ~83% industrials and ~17% tech/AI.
Expense Ratio: 0.50%.
Pros: Provides exposure to innovative defense technology and benefits from geopolitical demand. Well diversified across tech and defense.
Cons: Investors are susceptible to sector-specific risk. Only 44 holdings whereby the top 10 make up 66% of the fund. Exposed to potential regulatory headwinds.
Key Takeaways
GDXJ suits risk-tolerant investors seeking high growth in the gold/silver mining industry, but high volatility is a concern. The ETF is up 49.90% YTD but only 50% over the last 5 years. A lot of the growth has come recently.
SHLD offers you exposure to cutting-edge defence technology which can be ideal for those who are bullish on geopolitics. Despite that, sector concentration poses a risk. The ETF is up 56.60% YTD but also up 135% over the last 5 years.
My Pro Tip:
I would allocate no more than 5-10% of your portfolio to these higher-risk ETFs, with a good balance using a broad-market fund such as an S&P 500 ETF like $VOO ( ▼ 0.28% ). High performing ETFs often come with more volatility, so it’s important that you understand the risk of investing in funds like these. Despite solid historical performance, there’s also a case of future growth for both of these sectors.
We’re going to be covering more defence related stocks in The Profit Academy, finding the ones that are fundamentally strong with a runway for growth. If you want in, click here.
See you in the next one!


The market in the short run:
📈📉📈📉📈📉📈📉
The market in the long run:
📈📈📈📈📈📈📈📈
Stay invested
— THE DIVIDEND DOMINATOR (@TheAlphaThought)
12:13 PM • Jun 18, 2025


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