Top 10 most-purchased ETFs: December 2025
The rush for exposure to precious metals intensifies further.
5th January 2026 09:48
by Dave Baxter from interactive investor
The clamour for precious metals exposure has only intensified in the final month of 2025, with exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors piling into portfolios focused on silver and gold.
Both funds that track the price of the metals and those that buy into the shares of companies that mine them have made huge returns in 2025. Our list of bestselling ETFs for December shows that investors continued to chase those returns as the year drew to a close.
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Our figures, which track the number of buys among interactive investor customers but exclude regular investing, show that the iShares Physical Silver ETC GBP (LSE:SSLN) has moved back into first place, knocking iShares Physical Gold ETC GBP (LSE:SGLN) into second.
What’s interesting is these names are joined by two new entrants with a similar focus. There’s the WisdomTree Physical Silver ETC (LSE:PHAG), but also the Global X Silver Miners ETF USD Acc GBP (LSE:SILG).
The silver miners ETF has done the biggest one-year total return from our list, demonstrating just how strongly mining shares can perform when things are going well.
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But it’s worth noting that such volatility also applies on the way down, and that this is a fund with some punchy bets. Top holding Wheaton Precious Metals Corp (TSE:WPM) accounted for 14.5% of the fund at the end of December, with Pan American Silver Corp (TSE:PAAS) on 13.9%.
When it comes to the physical silver funds, the iShares name looks much more appealing on price. It lists an ongoing charges figure of 0.2%, while the WisdomTree fund lists a much higher fee of 0.49%.
Tech wreck
Investors continued to back US, global and tech shares via different share classes of the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF USD Acc (LSE:VUAA) and Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF USD Acc GBP (LSE:VWRP), as well as the Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100 ETF GBP (LSE:EQQQ).
That suggests they are unfazed by concerns about, for example, an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble bursting any time soon or the US losing its dominant grip on global markets.
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As mentioned, investors also continue to make good use of the ‘distribution’ share classes for the US and global trackers, an option that would pay out any dividends received rather than reinvesting them. Using such an option could see you miss out on the full gains of compound returns over time.
It’s finally worth pointing to a racy option that has entered the bestseller list for December. The WisdomTree NASDAQ 100 3x Daily Leveraged (LSE:QQQ3), as its name suggests, offers an amplified form of exposure to the Nasdaq 100 using debt, with the prospect of much greater gains or losses.
This is an extremely punchy ETF that could leave investors with big losses if it goes wrong. However, the big gains it can make at times, demonstrated by its three-year returns figure, may well lure some in.
Top 10 most popular ETFs in December
| Ranking | Exchange-traded fund (ETF) | Change from November | One-year return to 31 December 2025 (%) | Three-year return to 31 December 2025 (%) |
| 1 | iShares Physical Silver ETC (LSE:ISLN) | Up three | 131.4 | 167.3 |
| 2 | iShares Physical Gold ETC GBP (LSE:SGLN) | Down one | 53.5 | 111.8 |
| 3 | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF USD Acc (LSE:VUAA) | Down one | 9.5 | 65.1 |
| 4 | Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF (LSE:VUSD) | Down one | 9.5 | 65.1 |
| 5 | Global X Silver Miners ETF USD Acc GBP (LSE:SILG) | New entry | 153 | 175.8 |
| 6 | Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF USD Acc GBP (LSE:VWRP) | Up two | 14.1 | 56.7 |
| 7 | WisdomTree Physical Silver ETC GBP (LSE:PHSP) | New entry | 130.8 | 164.9 |
| 8 | Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF (LSE:VWRD) | Down three | 14.1 | 56.7 |
| 9 | WisdomTree NASDAQ 100 3x Daily Leveraged GBP (LSE:LQQ3) | New entry | 24.4 | 454.9 |
| 10 | Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100 ETF GBP (LSE:EQQQ) | Down three | 12.3 | 108.8 |
Source: FE Analytics. The top 10 is based on the number of buys in December. 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.
Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.