Last week was another power-packed one. Wall Street faced volatility as tech earnings disappointed, labor data signaled mixed trends, and inflation fears grew amid rising tariffs. Gold hit record highs as a safe haven, while geopolitical tensions and Ford's (NYSE:F) weak EV outlook added to market uncertainty. Amid these dynamics, we identified five ETFs that braved the volatility and posted gains:
Direxion Daily PLTR Bull 2X Shares (NASDAQ:PLTU)
- Weekly gain: 78.82%
- Focus: Leveraged equity ETF that seeks to track 200% of the performance of Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR).
- Expense ratio: 0.99%
AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF (NYSE:PSIL)
- Weekly gain: 21.61%
- Focus: Primarily invests in life sciences companies focused on psychedelic medicines as well as other companies with business in the psychedelics space.
- Expense ratio: 1.01%
United States Natural Gas Fund LP (NYSE:UNG)
- Weekly gain: 10.84%
- Focus: Tracks the daily price movements of natural gas. This ETF mainly invests in natural gas futures contracts.
- Expense ratio: 1.01%
Roundhill Video Games ETF (NASDAQ:NERD)
- Weekly gain: 4.75%
- Focus: Follows the Nasdaq CTA Global Video Games Software Index. Names like Nintendo, Roblox (NYSE:RBLX) and Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) are included in this passively managed ETF’s portfolio.
- Expense ratio: 0.50%
Defiance Connective Technologies ETF (NASDAQ:SIXG)
- Weekly gain: 4.58%
- Focus: Tracks the BlueStar Connective Technologies Index that follows the performance of U.S.-listed companies in the hardware, software, or services related to 5G, or 6G networks, and other connective technologies.
- Expense ratio: 0.30%
Also Read: T-Mobile Stock Is Rising Monday: What’s Going On?
What Drove Markets Last Week
Beginning with the mega-cap tech earnings last week, companies including Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), fell short of lofty expectations, weighing on markets despite support from Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) and financial sector stocks.
On the economic front, January's job report was a mixed bag. Nonfarm payrolls rose just 143,000—far below December's 307,000 and short of economists' 170,000 estimate. Yet, the unemployment rate dipped, and wages climbed faster than expected.
A warning sign popped up Friday when the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index unexpectedly dropped. The survey showed consumer sentiment falling to 67.8, with inflation expectations rising to 4.3%—the highest since late 2023. The report linked this unease to higher tariffs under the Trump administration.
Gold surged to record highs, topping $2,850 per ounce, as investors sought safety amid inflation worries and policy uncertainty. This marks its sixth straight week of gains, reinforcing its safe-haven status.
Meanwhile, Ford's stock slid to its lowest level since early 2021 despite an earnings beat. Its weak 2025 outlook and projected $5 billion to $5.5 billion EV losses raised fresh concerns about profitability and competition in the electric vehicle market.
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