Riding the Bull: 3 ETFs to Capitalize on the Ongoing Market Surge
There are many advantages to owing exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in an investment portfolio. ETFs provide diversification, allowing investors to own the entire stock market or stocks of companies that are focused on specific sectors of the economy or market. Some ETFs track the price movements of dozen of stocks, while others track hundreds of equities, and some track only one asset class at a time. For investors who are nervous about betting on a single stock, or who want diversification and the margin of safety it provides, ETFs are indeed a great choice. Typically, ETFs are passive investment vehicles and they charge lower fees than competing mutual funds, which are actively controlled by a fund manager who picks stocks. The lower fees can make a big difference to investors over the long-term. Here is riding the bull: three ETFs to capitalize on the ongoing market surge.
iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT)
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Nearly two months after their launch in the U.S., BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) leads the new crop of nearly a dozen spot Bitcoin (BTC-USD) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with its iShares Bitcoin ETF (NASDAQ:IBIT). The BlackRock ETF, which tracks the price movements of BTC, has attracted $10 billion of investor capital in less than two months, making it the fastest fund ever to reach that milestone.
Moreover, with Bitcoin’s price now at an all-time high of over $72,000, money continues to flow into the IBIT ETF. Since its launch in mid-January, the fund has gained 55%, marking a big increase in a short period of time. With many analysts and market observers forecasting that Bitcoin’s price will more than double from current levels and reach $150,000 by year’s end, there’s plenty of reason to remain bullish on this ETF.
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VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH)
Another red hot area of the market is stocks of microchip and semiconductor companies. A great way to play the rally is through the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH). So far this year, the SMH ETF is up 30%, pushing its 12-month gain to 85%. For investors seeking exposure to the entire chip sector, and aiming to capitalize on big price movements, this fund provides a great opportunity.
Top holdings include Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD), among 26 different names. The fund has a top five-star rating from Morningstar and charges a fee of 0.35%, which is among the lowest for ETFs in the microchip and semiconductor space. With chips and semis at the heart of the AI revolution, there’s reason to invest in this ETF.
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
In the second year of a bull run, there’s reason to believe it can continue running higher. The economy and corporate earnings remain strong, while analysts expect interest rates to decrease in the second half of the year. These factors should add gathering tailwinds to the current bull run in equities. So why not own virtually the entire market with the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:VOO)?
This Vanguard ETF tracks the rise and fall of the benchmark S&P 500 index, which is comprised of the 500 largest publicly traded companies in America. In the past 12 months, the VOO ETF has increased 33%, matching the gain in the S&P 500 index. Top holdings in this ETF include stocks such as Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), among hundreds of others.
As with all Vanguard ETFs, investors benefit from extremely low fees. In the VOO ETF, the management expense ratio is just 0.03%, which is about as low as you’ll find anywhere. These minimal fees enable investors’ money to grow at maximum strength.
On the date of publication, Joel Baglole held long positions in NVDA, MSFT and AAPL. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
Joel Baglole has been a business journalist for 20 years. He spent five years as a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and has also written for The Washington Post and Toronto Star newspapers, as well as financial websites such as The Motley Fool and Investopedia.
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