The top-performing Aussie and global equity ETFs for FY25

One of the powerful features of ETFs is that they facilitate investment in specific sectors or themes. And whilst that is a blade that cuts both ways, being on the right side of such a trade can turbo-charge portfolio performance. 

Over the past 12 months, locally you would have done well by being in financials (more specifically, banks), tech (with a focus on AI), telecommunications, and industrials. Property also got a look in, whilst factor ETFs (i.e. quality) also made the cut. 

Globally, anything AI-related was a hot ticket, along with cloud, software, and cybersecurity more broadly. Advanced manufacturing, robotics and gold also garnered interest and delivered compelling returns. Crypto and uranium also performed, but I bet you can't guess the theme that occupied the top two spots - unless you're younger than 25. 

So, what were the hottest themes in FY25 - or, more precisely, which ETFs captured those themes, packaged them up, and delivered standout performance for investors?

Read on to find out. 

How we compiled these lists

Our performance data is sourced from Morningstar, and the funds listed are available on Livewire’s Find Funds menu (located in the top-right corner of the webpage). Note that this is not an exhaustive list of all Australian equity funds in the market.

Here’s how we filtered the results:

• Fund Type: ETFs
• Asset Class: 'Shares - Australian' and 'Shares - Global'

We then manually refined the list based on 1-year returns.

NOTE: While examining fund performance over a one-year period is an interesting exercise, most funds recommend minimum investment periods of five years or more. As such, it would be worthwhile to consider longer-term performance across cycles when researching funds or making investment decisions. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future return.

The 10 top-performing Australian share ETFs in FY25

Please note that the information below is taken from the respective product issuer websites.

#1 - Betashares S&P/ASX Australian Technology ETF (ASX: ATEC)

ETF

Betashares S&P/ASX Australian Technology ETF (ATEC)

Australian Shares

View

ATEC provides diversified exposure to the innovative companies leading Australia’s fast-growing technology sector, including WiseTech Global, REA Group, Xero, carsales.com and more.

ATEC aims to track the performance of the S&P/ASX All Technology Index (before fees and expenses). The Index provides exposure to leading ASX-listed companies across a range of tech-related market segments, including information technology, consumer electronics, online retail, and medical technology.

An allocation to ATEC can provide diversification benefits for portfolios with a heavy weighting to large-cap financials and resource stocks.

#2 - SPDR S&P/ASX 200 Financials EX A-REIT Fund (ASX: OZF)

ETF

SPDR® S&P®/ASX 200 Financials EX A-REIT Fund (OZF)

Australian Shares

View

The SPDR S&P/ASX 200 Financials EX A-REIT ETF seeks to closely track, before fees and expenses, the returns of the S&P/ASX 200 Financials Ex A-REIT Index.

The S&P/ASX 200 Financials Ex A-REIT Index seeks to provide an effective representation of the Financial sector of the S&P/ASX 200 Index. It includes companies involved in activities such as banking, mortgage finance, consumer finance, specialised finance, investment banking and brokerage, asset management and custody, corporate lending, insurance, and financial investment, excluding Australian real estate investment trusts (A-REITs), mortgage REITs, equity REITs, and real estate management & development companies.

#3 - Betashares Australian Financials Sector ETF (ASX: QFN)

ETF

Betashares Australian Financials Sector ETF (QFN)

Australian Shares

View

QFN aims to track the performance of an index (before fees and expenses) comprising the largest ASX-listed companies in the financial sector, including the ‘Big 4’ banks and insurance companies, but excluding Real Estate Investment Trusts.

The financials sector has typically paid high, franked income relative to other market sectors. Distributions are paid by the Fund semi-annually.

The 10 top-performing global share ETFs in FY25

#1 - Betashares Video Games and Esports ETF (ASX: GAME)

ETF

Betashares Video Games and Esports ETF (GAME)

Global Shares

View

GAME aims to track the performance of an index (before fees and expenses) that provides exposure to a portfolio of leading global video gaming and esports companies.

The video games and esports industry has been growing strongly, with industry revenue, profit margins, and the number of global players all forecast to increase in the coming years.

GAME provides exposure to a portfolio of the world’s leading video games and esports companies, including Roblox, Nintendo and Electronic Arts.

#2 - VanEck Video Gaming and Esports ETF (ASX: ESPO)

ETF

VanEck Video Gaming and Esports ETF (ESPO)

Global Shares

View

Key benefits

#3  - Betashares Global Gold Miners ETF - Currency Hedged (ASX: MNRS)

ETF

Betashares Global Gold Miners ETF - Currency Hedged (MNRS)

Global Shares

View

MNRS offers diversification and defensive benefits, as gold miners’ fortunes are closely tied to the price of gold, which has traditionally tended to perform well during times of market volatility and uncertainty.

Investing in global gold miners enables you to simply and cost-effectively spread your risk beyond the relatively small Australian gold mining sector.

Important notes about the data

• Fund performance is typically viewed over longer timeframes than one year (i.e. three-year and five-year rolling periods). Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future return. The tables above simply capture the best-performing funds, in their respective categories, for the past 12 months.
• All data is supplied by Morningstar. If you would like to conduct your own research into top-performing funds, you can do so by clicking here.