Top 10 most-purchased ETFs: February 2026
Gold and silver are key areas of focus, with investors not put off by sharp short-term falls at the end of January.
3rd March 2026 12:37
by Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor
Commodities continue to be a key area of focus, with the asset class accounting for half of the top 10 list of the most-bought exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Our figures, which reflect the number of buys among interactive investor customers in February excluding regular investing, show that silver is the metal of choice.
Four silver trackers feature in the table, with iShares Physical Silver ETC (LSE:SSLN) taking the top spot. Global X Silver Miners ETF (LSE:SILG) is in fourth place, WisdomTree Physical Silver ETC (LSE:PHSP) in eighth, while WisdomTree Silver 3x Daily Leveraged (LSE:3LSI) takes the 10th spot.
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With leveraged products, investors need to take great care, as losses and gains are amplified.
As we explain in detail here, many leveraged products caution against holding them for periods longer than a day due to the ETF having to rebalance, which means the returns are no longer fully correlated with the underlying index.
Another leveraged product appearing in the rankings is WisdomTree NASDAQ 100 3x Daily Leveraged (LSE:LQQ3).
Moving back to commodities, gold makes one appearance, with iShares Physical Gold ETC (LSE:SGLN) in second place.
Gold and silver were on a tear until the end of January. But investors were caught off-guard as a huge sell-off erupted, with the price of silver falling more than 25% and gold giving up 10%. Those falls served as a reminder that the prices of both precious metals can fluctuate rapidly.
The sell-off proved to be short-lived, with both gold and silver recovering their poise. At the time of writing, the gold price stands at $5,289, while silver is trading at $86.55.
The structural drivers for both precious metals remain the same as before the sell-off and subsequent recovery. During times of uncertainty, investors flock to safe-haven assets, with gold and silver widely viewed as tangible physical assets that provide a reliable store of value. This is because governments and central banks cannot simply print more gold or silver, as they can with currencies. As a result, the value of both is viewed as being preserved.
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The rest of the top 10 contains two share class versions of a global and US tracker fund.
The Vanguard global trackers are “all world” funds, which means they own emerging market shares as well as developed world shares. The distribution version (VWRL) is in third place, while the accumulating version (VWRP) takes ninth place.
With the income share class, income generated by a fund’s underlying investments is paid out to investors. With accumulation shares, the income is reinvested back into the fund, which bolsters the effect of compounding, in which investment returns themselves generate future gains.
Finally, in sixth and seventh place respectively is Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with investors having a slight preference for the accumulating version (VUAG) over its distribution share class (VUSA).
As my colleague Dave Baxter recently pointed out in his weekly column, investors opting for the distribution share class may be missing a trick due to the low yields on offer for a global or US ETF. Taking the income and not reinvesting it will dent long-term total returns.
Top 10 most popular ETFs in February
| Ranking | Exchange-traded fund | Change from January | One-year return to 28 February 2026 (%) | Three-year return (%) |
| 1 | iShares Physical Silver ETC | Unchanged | 165.9 | 285.9 |
| 2 | iShares Physical Gold ETC | Unchanged | 70.1 | 155.9 |
| 3 | Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF (distributing) | Up 7 | 17.7 | 57 |
| 4 | Global X Silver Miners ETF | Down 1 | 216.9 | N/A |
| 5 | WisdomTree NASDAQ 100 3x Daily Leverage ETF | Up 3 | 17.3 | 296.6 |
| 6 | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (accumulating) | Down 2 | 11.6 | 61 |
| 7 | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (distributing) | Down 1 | 11.6 | 61 |
| 8 | WisdomTree Physical Silver | Down 1 | 153.4 | 265.6 |
| 9 | Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF (accumulating) | Down 4 | 17.7 | 57 |
| 10 | WisdomTree Silver 3x Daily Leverage ETF | Up 1 | 446 | 758.4 |
Source: FE Analytics. Top 10 based on number of buys in February. 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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