The S&P 500 has wiped out all its losses and returned to positive territory in 2025. The stunning comeback occurred just over a month after the market had tumbled to near bear market levels on April 8, courtesy of President Trump's aggressive tariff plans. Per Bespoke Invest, the S&P 500 erased its 15% year-to-date loss in less than six weeks, marking the fastest recovery since 1982. 

The gains were broad-based and well spread out across various segments. We have highlighted five top-performing ETFs from different corners of the market that are leading this year. These are Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM Quick QuoteSGDM - Free Report) , Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD Quick QuoteSHLD - Free Report) , iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF (SLVP Quick QuoteSLVP - Free Report) , Global X Video Games & Esports ETF (HERO Quick QuoteHERO - Free Report) and First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (FXU Quick QuoteFXU - Free Report) .

Trade Tensions Ease

Easing trade tensions and strong earnings, especially from tech giants, renewed market optimism. The United States has agreed to temporarily slash tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China will lower its retaliatory duties on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. The temporary reduction in rates will run for 90 days (read: 5 Leveraged ETFs Soaring on U.S.-China Trade Truce).

Solid Tech Earnings

The first-quarter earnings for the 419 S&P 500 members that have reported results are up 12.2% from the same period last year on 4.1% higher revenues, with 73.7% beating EPS estimates and 61.8% beating revenue estimates. In particular, the tech sector’s results have been better than expected and compare favorably with other recent periods. Earnings and revenue growth rates are roughly in line with recent periods. While the EPS beats percentage is tracking below the historical average, the revenue beat percentage is notably above the 5-year average.   

Bulls Are Back

Wall Street strategists are turning increasingly bullish once again on the S&P 500 outlook for the year, fueled by a 90-day truce in U.S.-China tariff tensions that has sparked a market rally. Goldman Sachs raised its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 6,100 from 5,900. Yardeni Research also lifted its forecast to 6,500 from 6,000, implying an additional 11% gain from current levels. Both firms cited easing concerns over a major economic slowdown as a key driver behind their optimism.

Inflation Slows

U.S. inflation in April cooled to the lowest level since February 2021. The Consumer Price Index, which tracks a variety of costs throughout the economy, rose 2.3% year over year in April, down slightly from 2.4% in March. The softer-than-expected data bolstered the case for the easing by the Federal Reserve.

ETFs in Focus

We have profiled the abovementioned ETFs in detail below:

Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM Quick QuoteSGDM - Free Report) – Up 41.8%

Sprott Gold Miners ETF follows the Solactive Gold Miners Custom Factors Index, which aims to track the performance of larger-sized gold companies whose stocks are listed on Canadian and major U.S. exchanges. It holds 35 stocks in its basket. Here again, Canada takes the top spot at 75%, followed by 18.2% in the United States. Sprott Gold Miners ETF has amassed $372 million in its asset base and trades in a lower volume of around 103,000 shares a day. It charges 50 bps in annual fees from investors.

Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD Quick QuoteSHLD - Free Report) – Up 38.8%

With AUM of $1.9 billion, Global X Defense Tech ETF seeks to invest in companies positioned to benefit from the increased adoption and utilization of defense technology. It tracks the Global X Defense Tech Index and holds 37 stocks in its basket. Global X Defense Tech ETF charges 50 bps in annual fees and trades in an average daily volume of 766,000 shares (read: 5 Sector ETFs That Beat the Market in April).

iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF (SLVP Quick QuoteSLVP - Free Report) – Up 25.9%

iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF follows the MSCI ACWI Select Silver Miners Investable Market Index, providing investors exposure to 27 companies that derive the majority of their revenues from silver exploration or metals mining. iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF has an AUM of $264.4 million and an average daily volume of about 260,000 shares. It charges 39 bps in annual fees. 

Global X Video Games & Esports ETF (HERO Quick QuoteHERO - Free Report) – Up 20.1%

Global X Video Games & Esports ETF offers exposure to companies developing or publishing video games, facilitating streaming and distribution of video gaming or esports content, owning and operating within competitive esports leagues or producing hardware used in video games and esports, including augmented and virtual reality. This can be easily done by the Solactive Video Games & Esports Index. Holding 45 securities in its basket, Global X Video Games & Esports ETF has an AUM of $119.5 million and charges 50 bps as annual fees. HERO trades in an average daily volume of 58,000 shares. 

First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (FXU Quick QuoteFXU - Free Report) – Up 11.1%

First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the Russell 1000 Index. It follows the StrataQuant Utilities Index, holding 40 stocks in its basket. First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund has amassed $1.6 billion and charges 63 bps in annual fees.