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Wall Street delivered a mixed-to-downbeat performance last week.
Powell warned of stagflation, auto stocks rose on policy hopes, NVIDIA hit by $5.5B export curb.
Leveraged ETFs on marijuana, Eli-Lily, MicroStrategy, Mexico and gold miners won the ETF scorecard.
Wall Street delivered a mixed-to-downbeat performance last week. The S&P 500 gained 0.3%, while the Dow Jones lost 1.14% and the Nasdaq Composite retreated 0.6%. The week was marked by events like Powell’s remarks about a possible stagflation in the U.S. economy, speculation over an administrative windfall for auto stocks following Trump’s similar moves in the electronics sector, upbeat retail due to possible front-loading and NVIDIA’s $5.5 billion setback due to the U.S. government’s export restrictions on China.
Fed Pauses Rate Hike Amid Stagflation Risks
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said last week that the central bank will "wait for greater clarity" before making any interest rate changes. This cautious approach comes as President Trump’s newly announced tariffs are expected to lead to "higher inflation and slower growth" — an economic condition known as stagflation (read: Fed Pause Amid Stagflation Risks? Smart ETF Moves to Follow).
Auto ETFs Rise on Hopes of Tariff Exemptions
After electronics, the windfall is now shifting to autos. Shares of major automakers rose on April 14, 2025, after President Donald Trump signaled potential relief for car companies impacted by the recent 25% tariffs on imported vehicles. Before this, the government indicated some temporary tariff relief for electronic products (read: Auto ETFs Rise on Hopes of Tariff Exemptions).
Upbeat March Retail Sales
The advanced estimate of retail sales showed an increase of 1.4% in the month, better than the 1.2% Dow Jones estimate and higher than the 0.2% increase in February. The year-over-year rise was 4.6%, while the monthly increase was the biggest since January 2023. Excluding autos, the numbers also were stronger than expected, with sales up 0.5% compared with the 0.3% increase forecast.
NVIDIA’s $5.5 Billion Hit
Shares in NVIDIA lost 6.7% last week after the computer chip giant said it would be hit by $5.5 billion (£4.2bn) in costs due to the U.S. government’s tightening of rules for export to China. The news weighed on the broader tech sector, causing the Nasdaq-100 ETF QQQ to lose 0.3% last week.
Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that won last week.
Cannabis-Heavy ETFs
AdvisorShares MSOS Daily Leveraged ETF (MSOX - Free Report) – Up 34.3% Last Week
A recent survey conducted by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates —a GOP-aligned polling firm with ties to President Donald Trump—revealed that a majority of Republicans back a variety of cannabis reforms. Notably, GOP voters are even more likely than the average voter to support states legalize marijuana without federal interference.
Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would end federal marijuana prohibition in states that have legalized it, while providing for a basic federal regulatory framework for cannabis products.
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long LLY ETF (LLYX - Free Report) – Up 33.2%
Eli Lilly announced that its experimental weight-loss pill, orforglipron, performed on par with the widely used injectable drug Ozempic in reducing both weight and blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
LLY shares surged 14.3% on April 17. U.S.-listed shares of Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk (NVO), meanwhile, fell more than 7% on April 17.
In the phase 3 trial, patients taking orforglipron lost around 16 pounds (nearly 8% of their body weight) over 40 weeks. This outperformed Ozempic’s results, where patients on the highest dose lost roughly 6% of their body weight. Eli Lilly also noted that weight loss hadn’t plateaued at the study’s conclusion, suggesting continued improvement with longer use.
MicroStrategy- Heavy ETFs
Defiance Daily Target 2x Long MSTR ETF (MSTX - Free Report) – Up 32.8%
T-Rex 2X Long MSTR Daily Target ETF (MSTU - Free Report) – Up 32.2%
MicroStrategy stock rose about 12% last week. It is the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin. Since Bitcoin price has been pretty stable in the tariff-torn past month as compared with the S&P 500, MSTR stock had every reason to outperform.
President Donald Trump hinted that he might temporarily relieve the auto industry from "permanent" tariffs he previously imposed on the business. Several car companies like Ford Motor Company and General Motors have established manufacturing operations in Mexico. The chances of temporary relief have probably boosted auto Mexico stocks.
Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 2x Shares (JNUG - Free Report) – Up 20.9%
Gold bullion ETF (GLD - Free Report) gained more than 2.7% last week. The yellow metal has been on an uphill ride this year due to its safe-haven appeal. Since mining stocks often act as leveraged plays on the underlying metal, leveraged gold miners staged an impressive rally last week.
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Best Leveraged ETFs of Last Week
Key Takeaways
Wall Street delivered a mixed-to-downbeat performance last week. The S&P 500 gained 0.3%, while the Dow Jones lost 1.14% and the Nasdaq Composite retreated 0.6%. The week was marked by events like Powell’s remarks about a possible stagflation in the U.S. economy, speculation over an administrative windfall for auto stocks following Trump’s similar moves in the electronics sector, upbeat retail due to possible front-loading and NVIDIA’s $5.5 billion setback due to the U.S. government’s export restrictions on China.
Fed Pauses Rate Hike Amid Stagflation Risks
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said last week that the central bank will "wait for greater clarity" before making any interest rate changes. This cautious approach comes as President Trump’s newly announced tariffs are expected to lead to "higher inflation and slower growth" — an economic condition known as stagflation (read: Fed Pause Amid Stagflation Risks? Smart ETF Moves to Follow).
Auto ETFs Rise on Hopes of Tariff Exemptions
After electronics, the windfall is now shifting to autos. Shares of major automakers rose on April 14, 2025, after President Donald Trump signaled potential relief for car companies impacted by the recent 25% tariffs on imported vehicles. Before this, the government indicated some temporary tariff relief for electronic products (read: Auto ETFs Rise on Hopes of Tariff Exemptions).
Upbeat March Retail Sales
The advanced estimate of retail sales showed an increase of 1.4% in the month, better than the 1.2% Dow Jones estimate and higher than the 0.2% increase in February. The year-over-year rise was 4.6%, while the monthly increase was the biggest since January 2023. Excluding autos, the numbers also were stronger than expected, with sales up 0.5% compared with the 0.3% increase forecast.
NVIDIA’s $5.5 Billion Hit
Shares in NVIDIA lost 6.7% last week after the computer chip giant said it would be hit by $5.5 billion (£4.2bn) in costs due to the U.S. government’s tightening of rules for export to China. The news weighed on the broader tech sector, causing the Nasdaq-100 ETF QQQ to lose 0.3% last week.
Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that won last week.
Cannabis-Heavy ETFs
AdvisorShares MSOS Daily Leveraged ETF (MSOX - Free Report) – Up 34.3% Last Week
A recent survey conducted by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates —a GOP-aligned polling firm with ties to President Donald Trump—revealed that a majority of Republicans back a variety of cannabis reforms. Notably, GOP voters are even more likely than the average voter to support states legalize marijuana without federal interference.
Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would end federal marijuana prohibition in states that have legalized it, while providing for a basic federal regulatory framework for cannabis products.
Eli Lilly-Heavy ETFs
Direxion Daily LLY Bull 2X Shares (ELIL - Free Report) – Up 33.5%
Defiance Daily Target 2X Long LLY ETF (LLYX - Free Report) – Up 33.2%
Eli Lilly announced that its experimental weight-loss pill, orforglipron, performed on par with the widely used injectable drug Ozempic in reducing both weight and blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
LLY shares surged 14.3% on April 17. U.S.-listed shares of Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk (NVO), meanwhile, fell more than 7% on April 17.
In the phase 3 trial, patients taking orforglipron lost around 16 pounds (nearly 8% of their body weight) over 40 weeks. This outperformed Ozempic’s results, where patients on the highest dose lost roughly 6% of their body weight. Eli Lilly also noted that weight loss hadn’t plateaued at the study’s conclusion, suggesting continued improvement with longer use.
MicroStrategy- Heavy ETFs
Defiance Daily Target 2x Long MSTR ETF (MSTX - Free Report) – Up 32.8%
T-Rex 2X Long MSTR Daily Target ETF (MSTU - Free Report) – Up 32.2%
MicroStrategy stock rose about 12% last week. It is the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin. Since Bitcoin price has been pretty stable in the tariff-torn past month as compared with the S&P 500, MSTR stock had every reason to outperform.
Mexico-Heavy ETFs
Direxion Daily MSCI Mexico Bull 3X Shares (MEXX - Free Report) – Up 28%
President Donald Trump hinted that he might temporarily relieve the auto industry from "permanent" tariffs he previously imposed on the business. Several car companies like Ford Motor Company and General Motors have established manufacturing operations in Mexico. The chances of temporary relief have probably boosted auto Mexico stocks.
Gold-Miming ETFs
MicroSectors Gold Miners 3X Leveraged ETN (GDXU - Free Report) – Up 26.6%
Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 2x Shares (JNUG - Free Report) – Up 20.9%
Gold bullion ETF (GLD - Free Report) gained more than 2.7% last week. The yellow metal has been on an uphill ride this year due to its safe-haven appeal. Since mining stocks often act as leveraged plays on the underlying metal, leveraged gold miners staged an impressive rally last week.