Top 10 most-purchased ETFs in April 2025
Investors are mainly focusing on ETFs that provide exposure to global and US markets.
1st May 2025 13:58
by Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor
Investors stuck to their knitting as markets started making a tentative recovery last month, with iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (LSE:CSP1) and Vanguard FTSE Developed World ETF (LSE:VHVG) returning to the top 10.
Exiting the rankings were defence-focused ETFs VanEck Defense ETF (LSE:DFNG) and Future of Defence ETF (LSE:NATO). The former was a new entry in March, while the latter entered the top 10 in February. The appearance of the two ETFs in our table shows that some investors are looking to have exposure to the defence sector as a geopolitical hedge.
However, in April, investors sought exposure to global and US ETFs, which account for the vast majority of funds in the top 10. Both iShares Core S&P 500 ETF and Vanguard FTSE Developed World ETF often appear in the top 10, with the former last featuring in January and the latter last May. The duo re-entered in April in ninth and 10th place respectively.
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The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF took the top two spots, with the distribution version (VUSA) ranking ahead of the accumulation version (VUAG).
In third place, iShares Physical Gold ETC (LSE:SGLN) is the only non-equity play. Geopolitics has been driving the gold price higher over the past year or so. Escalating tensions in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine have both prompted buying from central banks, while the uptick in stock market volatility on the back of US President Donald Trump’s trade war has led investors to tap into gold’s safe-haven qualities.
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However, plenty of investors are attempting to take advantage of lower share prices, while benefiting from diversification by adopting a global approach. In fifth and eighth place is the Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF, with the distribution version (VWRL) proving slightly more popular than the accumulation version (VWRP).
In seventh place is iShares Core MSCI World Ucits ETF (LSE: SWDA). While SWDA focuses solely on developed-world equities, the Vanguard “All World” ETFs also include emerging markets.
Investing globally provides investors with diversification via exposure to different countries, sectors and industries. However, something to bear in mind is that despite global ETFs owning over 1,000 companies, around 20% of the global stock market is focused on just seven companies: Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA).
In fourth place is technology tracker Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100 ETF GBP (LSE:EQQQ), while the UK larger company-focused iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF (LSE:ISF) is sixth.
Top 10 most-popular ETFs in April 2025
| Ranking | Exchange-traded fund (ETF) | Change from March | One-year return to 30 April 2025 (%) | Three-year return to 30 April 2025 (%) |
| 1 | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (Distributing) | No change | 4.4 | 31 |
| 2 | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (Accumulating) | No change | 4.4 | 31 |
| 3 | iShares Physical Gold ETC | No change | 32.2 | 61.1 |
| 4 | Invesco EQQQ Nasdaq 100 ETF | No change | 5.2 | 44.4 |
| 5 | Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF (Distributing) | Up two | 4.4 | 25.4 |
| 6 | iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF | Up three | 7.7 | 25.1 |
| 7 | iShares Core MSCI World ETF | Down two | 4.7 | 28.3 |
| 8 | Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF (Accumulating) | Down two | 4.4 | 25.4 |
| 9 | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | New entry | 4.4 | 31.1 |
| 10 | Vanguard FTSE Developed World ETF | New entry | 4.7 | 28 |
Performance data sourced from FE Analytics. Performance data to 30 April 2025. Note: the top 10 is based on the number of “buys” during the month of April. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.
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