Buy Hold Sell: Why these advisors are trimming gold (plus two global ETFs they’re buying)

As part of our 2026 Outlook Series, we asked you for your picks of the top ETFs for the year ahead, and in a recent episode of Buy Hold Sell, we ran the ruler over five of the most-picked ETFs.

But we like to keep our guests on their toes, which is why we're back with a bonus round of Buy Hold Sell to run through nine more of the ETFs that made the list. 

Back in the BHS hot seats are Daniel Kelly of Viola Private Wealth and Adam Dawes of Shaw and Partners to give the quick fire calls on ETFs covering everything from gold miners to Asian tech.

2 guests. 9 ETFs. 4 minutes. See how they got on by watching the video below. 

This episode was filmed on Wednesday, 11 February 2026.

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Edited transcript

Tom Stelzer: I'm Tom Stelzer, and welcome to this bonus episode of Buy Hold Sell. Today, I'm joined by Daniel Kelly from Viola Private Wealth and Adam Dawes from Shaw and Partners for this rapid-fire round on some of your most-picked ETFs for 2026. Guys, thanks for joining me.

Daniel Kelly: Pleasure.

Adam Dawes: Thank you.

Vanguard Australian Shares ETF (ASX: VAS)

Tom Stelzer: Let's start straight into it. Adam, we'll start with you. First pick is the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF, VAS. Buy, hold, or sell?

Adam Dawes (BUY): Look, it's a buy. It's an index. It's cheap. Happy to have a buy on it. That's fine.

Tom Stelzer: Daniel?

Daniel Kelly (HOLD): Hold. We're only 2% of the world. It's important you have a bit of exposure, but not too much.

Global X Physical Gold Structured ETF (ASX: GOLD)

Tom Stelzer: Global X Physical Gold structured ETF. Ticker code GOLD.

Daniel Kelly (SELL): I'll sell that at the moment. It looks a little bit toppy. I think it's overstretched. Long-term I'm happy with it, but yeah, a little bit too far.

Tom Stelzer: Adam?

Adam Dawes (SELL): I've been taking some profits in that. When I see people lined up outside the gold bullions in Martin Place, that is a clear indication that the retail market's getting into it, which means that you should be starting to move away from it.

Vanguard International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

Tom Stelzer: Another classic here, the Vanguard International Shares ETF, VGS, buy, hold, or sell?

Adam Dawes (BUY): Look, it's a buy. 1,500 shares in that ETF, I think it's fantastic. Give you that global exposure. It's a buy from me.

Tom Stelzer: Daniel, buy, hold, or sell?

Daniel Kelly (BUY): Yeah, buy. That's the market. You need to own the market.

Global X Fang+ ETF (ASX: FANG)

Tom Stelzer: Another one here, the Global X Fang+ ETF. Ticker code FANG. Daniel, buy, hold, or sell?

Daniel Kelly (BUY): They need to add more letters to that now. Fang's not enough, right? It's way longer than that. Yeah, it's a buy again. It's been smashed of late just because of the concerns around software, so I think it's a good entry price at the moment.

Tom Stelzer: Adam?

Adam Dawes (HOLD): I'm going to hold. Look, you can get other exposure. There's plenty of other ways to get technology, and NDQ is a classic example and then you get more broader [exposure]. So it's a hold for me. If you've got it, keep it. I don't know what the plus means. What does the plus mean? Who knows? But anyway, yeah, it's a hold from me.

Global X Battery Tech & Lithium ETF (ASX: ACDC)

Tom Stelzer: I'll start with you, Adam. The Global X Battery Tech & Lithium ETF, ACDC. Buy, hold or sell?

Adam Dawes (HOLD): It's a hold. I think it's already run hard and there's still supply concerns. It's a hold from me.

Tom Stelzer: Daniel, buy, hold or sell?

Daniel Kelly (HOLD): It's a hold for me as well, but we're going to need a lot of batteries in the future. So it's an important ETF, but yeah, it has run hard, so I'm holding that.

Plato Global Alpha Fund Complex ETF (ASX: PGA1)

Tom Stelzer: Something a bit different here, the Plato Global Alpha Fund, complex ETF, PGA1. Daniel, buy, hold, or sell?

Daniel Kelly (BUY): Strong buy. Incredibly intelligent guys, long/short fund, long extension. They can pick winners and losers in any market. So I'm going buy on that one.

Tom Stelzer: Adam, buy, hold, or sell?

Adam Dawes (BUY): We're going to have to agree on this one. It's a buy. Dr. David has got 150 red flag system that sits in there and he can look at any stock and any of these flags. He's amazing. He's very good. It's a buy for me.

VanEck Gold Miners ETF (ASX: GDX)

Tom Stelzer: Next one, Adam, VanEck, Gold Miners ETF, GDX. Buy, hold, or sell?

Adam Dawes (HOLD): So we just talked about GOLD, but the Gold Miners, I prefer the commodity if you're going to do it, because the gold miners, look, someone can die, something happens, directors leave. It's a hold for from me. I think I prefer the commodity versus the Gold Miners, the company.

Tom Stelzer: Daniel, buy, hold, or sell?

Daniel Kelly (SELL): I'm going sell. This is a really niche area to play and I prefer active management for that rather than ETF, so I'm going sell.

Betashares Asia Tech Tigers ETF (ASX: ASIA)

Tom Stelzer: Next one at the BetaShares Asia Tech Tigers ETF. Daniel, buy, hold, or sell?

Daniel Kelly (HOLD): I'm going hold. Lots of geopolitical risk around Asia, and again, for the same reason as the Gold Miners ETF, I prefer active management to get through that nuance. So I'm going hold.

Tom Stelzer: Adam, what about you?

Adam Dawes (SELL): Yeah, I'd be cautious. I think the China exposure on that one's pretty high as well, so it's a sell from me.

VanEck Australian Resources ETF (ASX: MVR)

Tom Stelzer: And finally we have the VanEck Australian Resources ETF, ticker code, MVR. Adam, buy, hold, or sell?

Adam Dawes (HOLD): Who doesn't love resources in an Australian market? They've done pretty well. I'd be a hold from me. I think we've still got a little ways to go in the commodity cycle, but it's already run pretty hard, so I'll take a hold on that one.

Tom Stelzer: Daniel, what about you, buy, hold, or sell?

Daniel Kelly (BUY): I'm going buy on this one. It's broadly diversified. I think we could be entering the next super cycle for commodities, and I think it could be the early stages from that.

Adam Dawes: Big call.

Daniel Kelly: We're going to need a lot of stuff out of the ground to build what we want to build, so I'm going buy on that one.

Tom Stelzer: There you have it, 9 rapid fire calls. Thanks to Daniel and Adam for taking part. Make sure to check out our YouTube channel for more Buy Hold Sell.