Global ETF Snapshot: Market Leaders of 2024–2025 and What 2026 Holds
The global investment landscape in 2024 and 2025 has been shaped by contrasting economic forces—from robust U.S. equity gains to volatile European benchmarks and surging Asian opportunities. Let’s explore how key ETFs have navigated this terrain.
North America: U.S. and Canadian Equities
SPY (SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust) delivered exceptional performance in 2024, with annual returns ranging from approximately 23% to 24%. In 2025, SPY posted a strong positive performance of about 10%.
XIU (iShares S&P/TSX 60 ETF), representing Canada’s benchmark, posted strong returns as well—around 20.7% in 2024.
Despite U.S. outperformance, Canadian ETFs benefited from heavy exposure to commodities like gold and energy, supported by favorable sector composition and currency dynamics.
Europe: Varied Outcomes Across Regions
EPA:CAC (Amundi CAC 40 ETF) was notably subdued in 2024, with a modest return of just 0.8%.
LON:ISF (iShares Core FTSE 100 UCITS ETF) performed more robustly: with a 2024 return of 14.8%, and a year-to-date gain close to 15–16% in 2025.
DAXEX (iShares Core DAX UCITS ETF) tracks Germany’s DAX index—though exact annual return figures for 2024–2025 weren’t readily available, the DAX’s underlying fundamentals suggest moderate performance.
Asia: High Growth, Emerging Opportunity
HKG:3147 (CSOP SZSE ChiNext ETF) tracks China’s innovative small-cap companies. Although specific performance data for 2024–2025 is limited, market trends suggest significant volatility and potential upside.
LON:XDJP (Xtrackers Nikkei 225 ETF 1D) outperformed in 2024, producing a robust ~19.7% annual return.
Outlook for 2026
Looking ahead to 2026, several themes are likely to influence ETF performance globally:
Selective regional strength: U.S. equities may face headwinds from elevated valuations, but the trend of yield-seeking and tech rebound could sustain SPY’s momentum.
European resilience: The FTSE 100’s composition—strong energy, consumption, and dividend sectors—positions ISF well for relatively stable performance. However, other European indices like CAC may lag unless macro sentiment improves.
Asian frontier growth: XDJP’s exposure to Japanese industrials and tech may yield solid gains if global demand and yen stability align. Meanwhile, ChiNext (HKG:3147) presents a high-risk, high-reward scenario amid Chinese domestic reform and innovation policies.
The cautious investor may opt for a diversified basket of these ETFs: SPY for U.S. growth, ISF and DAXEX for European balance, XDJP for Asia’s mature economy, and 3147 for frontier upside.