Top performing ETFs of the past 5 years.
3/4/2026 00:36am
Here are the **top‑performing U.S.-listed ETFs over the last 5 years** (total return, including dividends), based on non‑leveraged funds with at least **100k average daily volume**, as of **Feb 17, 2026**.
### Top 10 ETFs by 5‑Year Total Return (U.S.‑listed, non‑leveraged)
| Rank | Ticker | ETF Name | 5‑Year Total Return (%) |
|------|--------|---------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
| 1 | XME | SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF | 233.8% |
| 2 | RING | iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF | 232.3% |
| 3 | SMH | VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 227.9% |
| 4 | URA | Global X Uranium ETF | 226.5% |
| 5 | DXJ | WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 219.4% |
| 6 | NLR | VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF | 216.9% |
| 7 | GDX | VanEck Gold Miners ETF | 215.1% |
| 8 | AIRR | First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF | 213.3% |
| 9 | ARGT | Global X MSCI Argentina ETF | 205.0% |
| 10 | MLPX | Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF | 198.1% |
Source methodology (TradeThatSwing, via StockRover): U.S.-exchange-listed, **non‑leveraged**, ≥100k avg volume; returns based on **total return with dividend reinvestment**.
### Visual: 5‑Year Return Comparison
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```
### How to read this list
- The leaders are **highly cyclical / commodity‑linked** (metals & mining, gold miners, uranium, energy infrastructure) plus **semis** and a few **country/thematic** plays (Japan hedged, Argentina).
- These sectors had **huge up‑cycles** in the last 5 years; they also tend to have **very deep drawdowns** when the cycle turns.
- This is **backward-looking** performance; it’s *not* a list of “what to buy now,” but it *is* a good map of **which themes dominated the last 5 years**.
If you’d like, next step could be:
Do you want to dig into **which of these fit your 4–5 year, 12–15%/yr goal** (e.g., SMH, DXJ, MLPX) versus which are **too boom‑bust** for you (uranium, Argentina, junior miners)?
