2025: the year ETFs talk?
Launches of leveraged ETFs are multiplying at an unprecedented rate:
The number of leveraged equity ETFs reached a record high of 701 this year!
This number has doubled in the last three years...
In 2025 alone, approximately 200 new ETFs were launched — an all-time record.
In total, over 800 different ETFs were launched this year, breaking the 2024 record.
The total number of ETFs in the US exceeded the 4,500 mark for the first time in history.
In short: risk appetite is soaring.
2025 is the year investors are no longer just looking for returns: they are looking for excitement, sophistication, and a narrative.
So here are the stars of the year: the ETFs that attract attention, and money?
1 Chat $CHAT – AI revolution index
An ETF that focuses on the most innovative companies in the AI sector – with exposure to leaders like NVIDIA, Microsoft, Palantir, and Super Micro Computer.
The ETF is built around the idea that AI is not a temporary trend but a new global technological infrastructure.
Return year-to-date - 56%
2 Granny $GRNY – Fundstrat “Granny Shots” ETF
An ETF with a name that might bring a smile, but a very serious strategy.
Granny was born from the philosophy of Thomas Lee, CEO of Fundstrat, who argues for combining tactical discipline with long-term thinking.
The GRNY ETF does not focus solely on technology.
It seeks stable companies with growth, profitability, and fair valuation: what is called “the stocks your grandma would buy… but with a twist”.
What does this mean in practice?
A combination of giants like Oracle and young growth companies like Robinhood.
Return year-to-date - 27%
Note the following data
Flows into aerospace and defense ETFs reached +$8.2 billion in the first three quarters of 2025.
This marks an increase of +573% compared to 2024 levels.
Monthly flows peaked at +$1.6 billion in June before declining to +$634 million in September.
This increase led to a wave of new fund launches, with 17 aerospace and defense ETFs debuting in 2025, compared to only 2 last year.
— The next two ETFs are in the defense sector:
3 The war for security $DFNS
An ETF focused on defense technologies, cyber, and advanced defense systems.
Includes names like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Palantir.
Return year-to-date - 75%
And what about defense with a focus on technology?
4 The ETF - $SHLD – Global X Defense Tech ETF does exactly that
Exposure to the world of security, cyber, operational intelligence, and advanced combat technologies.
The concept?
Tomorrow's battle is no longer fought only on the ground: it takes place in the cloud, in data, and in algorithms.
Return year-to-date - 82%
5 The gold ETF - $GLD – classic gold does not disappoint
In times of inflation, volatile interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty, gold returns as investors' anchor of stability.
The GLD fund is considered the most efficient way to gain exposure to gold without physically holding it.
Return year-to-date - 56%
6 The ETF of the big winners from the massive gold rally - $GDX – the world's gold miners
An ETF that tracks the world's largest mining companies, including Newmont, Barrick Gold, and Agnico Eagle.
When gold prices rise, these companies benefit from natural leverage to profitability...
Return year-to-date - 117% (after the recent correction... before it - 131%).
7 Ives $IVES– Dan Ives AI Revolution ETF
The name of this ETF comes from one of the analysts most associated with the world of technology: Dan Ives of Wedbush.
Within a few months, the total assets under management in the ETF reached almost $1 billion!
His vision? To identify the AI and technology companies that will build the next decade.
Ives brings together “smart and innovative” companies, combining chip manufacturers, cloud giants, and robotics companies.
Ives' ambition? To invest in those who will provide the digital backbone for the next generation of technology.