January was full of events and surprises for Wall Street. The major three indices logged gains in the month, with the Dow up 4.7%, the S&P 500 up 2.7% and the Nasdaq up 1.6%. The gains came amid the DeepSeek turmoil and Trump’s tariff threats.
We have highlighted five top-performing ETFs from different sectors that were the leaders in January. These are AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF PSIL, Themes Gold Miners ETF AUMI, iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF SLVP, Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF NUKZ and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF ARKF.
After declining for two consecutive weeks at the start of January, Wall Street gained momentum after Trump took office on Jan. 20. Notably, the S&P 500 registered the best first week of a presidency since Ronald Reagan assumed power in 1985. President Donald Trump’s economic growth policies and advancements in AI, as well as a solid start to the corporate earnings season, bolstered investors' sentiments.
The picture emerging from the fourth-quarter earnings season continues to be one of strength and improving outlook, with the companies not only coming ahead of estimates but also providing reassuring guidance for the coming quarters. Total earnings of 179 S&P 500 members that have reported so far, or 35.8% of the index’s total membership, are up 7.4% from the same period last year on 5.1% higher revenues, with 80.4% beating EPS estimates and 67% beating revenue estimates. This is a better performance from the same group members than the other recent periods.
The stocks again took a hit last week when the rapid emergence of DeepSeek, a China-based artificial intelligence startup, raised concerns about the future of American tech supremacy, which has been driving the stock market rally over the past two years. This has affected risk appetite globally, prompting investors to park their money in safe and defensive assets (read: ETFs to Invest in Amid DeepSeek-Led Market Turmoil).
DeepSeek took over rival OpenAI’s coveted spot for the most downloaded free app in the United States on Apple’s App Store, dethroning ChatGPT. Its technology is more cost-effective and operates on less powerful chips. The company said it had spent just $5.6 million on computing power for its base model, compared with hundreds of millions or billions of dollars spent by U.S. companies.
Additionally, Trump tariff talks weighed on the stock market. The Trump administration finally levied a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada and a 10% tariff on goods from China on weekends. The move has reignited fears of a trade war with the nation's closest trading partners (read: China ETFs in Tug-of-War Between Tariff Threats & Policy Boost).
The Fed kept the key interest rate steady, as expected, in its last meeting following a series of rate cuts since September 2024. The central bank dropped from its latest policy statement language saying that inflation "has made progress" toward the Fed's 2% inflation goal, noting only that the pace of price increases "remains elevated." This reflects looming concerns over future inflation and uncertainty about Trump’s trade tariff policies.
Let’s dig into the details of the abovementioned ETFs:
AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF (PSIL) – Up 17.7%
AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF invests in the emerging psychedelic drugs sector, offering exposure to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and life sciences companies that it sees as leading the way in this nascent industry. It is an actively managed fund and holds 25 stocks in its basket with large concentration on the top two firms. AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF has accumulated $8.3 million in its asset base and charges 99 bps in annual fees. It trades in an average daily volume of 12,000 shares.
Themes Gold Miners ETF (AUMI) – Up 17.2%
Themes Gold Miners ETF seeks to track the Solactive Global Pure Gold Miners Index, which identifies the largest 30 companies by market capitalization deriving their revenues from gold mining. It holds 28 stocks in its basket, with Canadian firms accounting for half of the portfolio, followed by Australian firms with a 32.2% share. Themes Gold Miners ETF has accumulated $2.7 million in its asset base. It charges 35 bps in fees per year and trades in a lower average daily volume of 2,000 shares.
iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF (SLVP) – Up 14.6%
iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF follows the MSCI ACWI Select Silver Miners Investable Market Index, providing investors exposure to companies that derive the majority of revenues from silver exploration or metals mining. It holds 28 stocks in its basket, with Canadian firms making up the lion’s share at 73.8%, while the United States and Mexico round off the next spots. iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF has an AUM of $226.7 million and an average daily volume of about 107,000 shares. It charges 39 bps in annual fees.
Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF (NUKZ) – Up 14.4%
Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF is designed to provide exposure to companies that are involved in the following segments: advanced reactor, utilities, construction & services, and fuel. It tracks the Range Nuclear Renaissance Index and holds 38 stocks in its basket, with the largest concentration on the top firm. Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF has accumulated $186.3 million in its asset base while trading in an average daily volume of 137,000 shares. It charges 85 bps in annual fees (read: ETFs to Watch in 2025: Bitcoin, Cheap Beta, AI, & More).
ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) – Up 11.2%
ARK Fintech Innovation ETF is an actively managed fund that invests in companies with the theme of Fintech innovation. The Adviser defines Fintech innovation as the introduction of a technologically-enabled product or service that potentially changes the way the financial sector works, which, ARK believes, includes transaction innovations, blockchain technology, risk transformation, frictionless funding platforms, customer-facing platforms and new intermediaries. The ETF holds 36 stocks, with a concentration on the top two holdings. ARK Fintech Innovation ETF charges 75 bps in annual fees and trades in an average daily volume of 504,000 shares. It has managed assets worth $1.1 billion.
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iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF (SLVP): ETF Research Reports
ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF): ETF Research Reports
Themes Gold Miners ETF (AUMI): ETF Research Reports
Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF (NUKZ): ETF Research Reports
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