Top 10 most-purchased ETFs in June 2025

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) investing in the defence sector were very popular last month, as investors continued to bet that governments will keep increasing their defence budgets.

VanEck Defense Ucits ETF rose six places to fourth place and WisdomTree Europe Defence Ucits ETF was a new entry in seventh. This ETF was only launched in March, but has risen 24% and gathered nearly three billion euros (£2.6 billion) in assets.

• Our Services: SIPP Account | Stocks & Shares ISA | See all Investment Accounts

Defence shares are soaring this year as governments, particularly in Europe, allocate more spending to the sector in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, but also pressure from the United States and NATO.

Winning stocks include BAE Systems, up 63% this year, and German firm Rheinmetall, which has risen 189%.

The other big theme in last month’s top ETF buys was the rise in demand for precious metals, with iShares Physical Gold jumping into top spot, from third in June, and iShares Physical Silver ETC entering the list in tenth.

• Gold versus silver: which is the best safe haven to own?
• Why gold and defence shares will keep rising
• Top 10 most-bought investment funds: June 2025

The gold price has risen from around $2,600 (£1,900) an ounce to $3,349 an ounce this year. The price of silver has risen from $29 to $36 an ounce. Gold is seen as a safe haven asset but also a hedge against inflation, as the supply of the metal is relatively fixed, but governments are issuing more debt and increasing the money supply.

Both metals are volatile, but silver is a much bumpier ride than gold due to its wider industrial use. This means it has greater cyclical characteristics compared to gold.

The remainder of June’s most-bought ETFs are far more conventional. In second and third place were Vanguard S&P 500 ETFs, with the version that distributes dividends (VUSA) slightly more popular than the one that reinvests them (VUAG).

Vanguard’s FTSE All World trackers also featured again, but this time the version (VWRP) that reinvests dividends  was more popular than the version (VWRL) that distributes them.

Finally, Invesco Nasdaq 100 Ucits (EQQQ) and iShares Core MSCI World Ucits (SWDA) finished off the list.

EQQQ It is effectively a bet on technology shares, as the Nasdaq index is packed with the big American tech giants, including Amazon, Apple and Nvidia.

This ETF can be extremely volatile, but investors with strong stomachs have been rewarded over the long run, with the shares up 76% over three years.

SWDA owns around 1,400 global developed market shares and is a popular core holding for stock market exposure. The fee is 0.2% a year.

While the Vanguard global trackers are “all world” funds, which means they own emerging market shares as well as developed world shares, the iShares fund just focuses on companies in developed markets, such as Japan, Europe and North America.

VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovation ETF and iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF dropped off the list.