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Wall Street posted solid gains in June, with the S&P 500 rising 4.4%, the Dow Jones up 3.66%, and the Nasdaq climbing 6% over the past month (as of June 27, 2025). The tech boom mainly led to the rally.
The month was marked by geopolitical tensions, particularly between Israel and Iran, which pushed oil prices higher. However, a ceasefire later on in the month helped calm markets. The United States Oil Fund (USO - Free Report) jumped 9% over the past month, reflecting the surge in crude prices.
Mixed U.S. Economic Data
U.S. economic data remained mixed. Inflation edged up slightly in May to 2.4%, the first increase in four months, but still below expectations of 2.5%. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy contracted at an annualized rate of 0.5% in Q1 2025.
This marked a sharper decline than the previously estimated 0.2% drop and the first contraction in three years. Retail sales fell 0.9% in May, following a modest 0.1% decline in April, amid the ongoing economic uncertainty and trade tensions.
Trump’s Deal With China & Plan to Replace Powell
President Trump struck a trade deal with China, offering a rare moment of optimism in global trade dynamics. However, tensions between Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell escalated. Trump is reportedly considering naming Powell’s replacement as early as September, criticizing him for not cutting interest rates aggressively. Powell defended the Fed’s “wait and see” approach, citing the need to assess the impact of recent tariffs.
Corporate Winners
In equity markets, several key stocks made headlines. Coinbase shares soared about 42% over the past month, fueled by news of its entry into the stablecoin market and optimism around crypto trading volumes. NVIDIA also rallied over 13%, driven by strong earnings and resilience despite new export bans to China.
BoJ to Slow Bond Purchases
Globally, the Bank of Japan announced plans to gradually slow its bond purchases starting April 2026, while keeping its benchmark rate unchanged at 0.5%. The BOJ cited rising risks to economic growth and aims to reduce Japanese Government Bond (JGB) purchases to around 2 trillion yen per month by early 2027, down from 3 trillion currently.
ETF Winners
Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few winning exchange-traded fund (ETF) areas of the month of June.
Platinum has surged more than 50% in 2025, driven by supply shortages and rising Chinese imports. A projected deficit, declining mine output, weak recycling and falling inventories are tightening supply. Meanwhile, demand remains strong from autos and jewelry, while a jump has been noticed in investment inflows.
Korea Defense
PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF - Free Report) ) – Up 21.7%
The underlying Korea Defense Industry Index is designed to track the performance of South Korean companies that have demonstrated a high relevance to defense. The fund charges 65 bps in fees.
Bitcoin prices were volatile in the month, with about flat return month-wise. However, Bitcoin miners were in great shape. The fund’s top holding IREN Ltd. jumped 62.8% over the past month. The second holding, Core Scientific, surged 55.8%. These two stocks take about 30% of the fund.
The Solactive Global Hydrogen Index provides exposure to companies that are positioned to benefit from further advancements in the field of hydrogen technology. Hydrogen stocks are rising as more countries focus on clean energy and introduce supportive policies. This growth comes from hydrogen’s ability to cut carbon emissions, its versatile use across industries and its significance in building a low-carbon future.
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5 Best-Performing ETF Areas of June
Wall Street posted solid gains in June, with the S&P 500 rising 4.4%, the Dow Jones up 3.66%, and the Nasdaq climbing 6% over the past month (as of June 27, 2025). The tech boom mainly led to the rally.
The month was marked by geopolitical tensions, particularly between Israel and Iran, which pushed oil prices higher. However, a ceasefire later on in the month helped calm markets. The United States Oil Fund (USO - Free Report) jumped 9% over the past month, reflecting the surge in crude prices.
Mixed U.S. Economic Data
U.S. economic data remained mixed. Inflation edged up slightly in May to 2.4%, the first increase in four months, but still below expectations of 2.5%. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy contracted at an annualized rate of 0.5% in Q1 2025.
This marked a sharper decline than the previously estimated 0.2% drop and the first contraction in three years. Retail sales fell 0.9% in May, following a modest 0.1% decline in April, amid the ongoing economic uncertainty and trade tensions.
Trump’s Deal With China & Plan to Replace Powell
President Trump struck a trade deal with China, offering a rare moment of optimism in global trade dynamics. However, tensions between Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell escalated. Trump is reportedly considering naming Powell’s replacement as early as September, criticizing him for not cutting interest rates aggressively. Powell defended the Fed’s “wait and see” approach, citing the need to assess the impact of recent tariffs.
Corporate Winners
In equity markets, several key stocks made headlines. Coinbase shares soared about 42% over the past month, fueled by news of its entry into the stablecoin market and optimism around crypto trading volumes. NVIDIA also rallied over 13%, driven by strong earnings and resilience despite new export bans to China.
BoJ to Slow Bond Purchases
Globally, the Bank of Japan announced plans to gradually slow its bond purchases starting April 2026, while keeping its benchmark rate unchanged at 0.5%. The BOJ cited rising risks to economic growth and aims to reduce Japanese Government Bond (JGB) purchases to around 2 trillion yen per month by early 2027, down from 3 trillion currently.
ETF Winners
Against this backdrop, below we highlight a few winning exchange-traded fund (ETF) areas of the month of June.
Platinum
GraniteShares Platinum Trust (PLTM - Free Report) ) – Up 23.2%
Platinum has surged more than 50% in 2025, driven by supply shortages and rising Chinese imports. A projected deficit, declining mine output, weak recycling and falling inventories are tightening supply. Meanwhile, demand remains strong from autos and jewelry, while a jump has been noticed in investment inflows.
Korea Defense
PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF - Free Report) ) – Up 21.7%
The underlying Korea Defense Industry Index is designed to track the performance of South Korean companies that have demonstrated a high relevance to defense. The fund charges 65 bps in fees.
Korean defense stocks have seen a surge over the past year, as the companies secured a number of major international contracts to export their defense systems.
Broad Developed World
ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK - Free Report) ) – Up 20.3%
Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation has again started to glow. The standout performers among ARKK’s top holdings have recently been Coinbase and Roblox.
Bitcoin Miners
CoinShares Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI - Free Report) ) – Up 19%
Bitcoin prices were volatile in the month, with about flat return month-wise. However, Bitcoin miners were in great shape. The fund’s top holding IREN Ltd. jumped 62.8% over the past month. The second holding, Core Scientific, surged 55.8%. These two stocks take about 30% of the fund.
Hydrogen
Global X Hydrogen ETF (HYDR - Free Report) ) – Up 18.6%
The Solactive Global Hydrogen Index provides exposure to companies that are positioned to benefit from further advancements in the field of hydrogen technology. Hydrogen stocks are rising as more countries focus on clean energy and introduce supportive policies. This growth comes from hydrogen’s ability to cut carbon emissions, its versatile use across industries and its significance in building a low-carbon future.