Oil, memory chips, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and cybersecurity dominate this year’s leaderboard. Two oil-futures funds, USO and BNO, sit at the top of the U.S. screen. They are joined by DRAM (memory chips), AIS (AI infrastructure) and FLKR (South Korean stocks, which lean heavily on chipmakers). On the Canadian side, two single-stock income ETFs tied to AMD and CrowdStrike lead the list. A semiconductor index fund, a Canadian energy fund and a cybersecurity fund follow.
This article covers the five best-performing eligible U.S.-listed ETFs and the five best-performing eligible Canadian-listed ETFs in TradingView screens collected on September 20, 2026. It is not a list of the best ETFs to buy. A fund can top a year-to-date ranking because it holds one hot company, one commodity or one crowded theme, and those are often the funds that fall hardest when sentiment turns. Chasing last year’s winners is one of the most common and costly mistakes in self-directed investing.
Treat the ranking as a research starting point. It shows where money has been working in 2026. Each fund in it also carries risks: concentration, volatility, valuation and, in several cases, complex strategies.
Ranking Methodology
The TradingView screening data was collected on September 20, 2026. Funds were ranked by year-to-date (YTD) performance under the following criteria.
U.S. screen
- Listed in the United States
- Minimum assets under management (AUM) of US$500 million
- Ranked by YTD performance
- Daily leveraged ETFs (2×, 3×, inverse and similar) excluded
- Cryptocurrency funds excluded
- Non-leveraged commodity funds remain eligible
Canadian screen
- Listed in Canada
- Minimum AUM of C$100 million
- Ranked by YTD performance
- Daily leveraged ETFs (2×, 3×, inverse and similar) excluded
- Cryptocurrency funds excluded
- Duplicate versions or currency classes of the same fund included only once
n of your own capital. Nothing here is a recommendation.
Top 5 Best-Performing U.S. ETFs of 2026
1. USO — United States Oil Fund
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USO | US$153.82 | US$2.07 billion | 0.60% | +124.78% |
Objective: USO does not store barrels of oil. It holds futures contracts, which are standardized agreements to buy crude at a set price on a future date, mainly on West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the North American benchmark. Most exposure sits in the nearest contract months. The rest of the portfolio is held in Treasury bills and cash as collateral. Each month the fund “rolls” its positions: it sells contracts approaching expiry and buys later ones, so it never takes physical delivery. The goal is to track daily percentage changes in the WTI price.
Oil’s strength in 2026 has been tied largely to the war involving Iran and concerns about Persian Gulf supply. Associated Press reporting in mid-September noted that Brent crude briefly approached US$110 a barrel, up from a little over US$70 in July. A fund that owns near-term oil futures responds directly to moves like that.
Risk: The central risk is the shape of the futures curve. In contango, later contracts cost more than the expiring one. Each roll then means selling cheap and buying dear, which quietly drags on returns. In backwardation, later contracts cost less, and rolling can add to returns. Because of this “roll yield,” USO’s long-term results can differ substantially from the change in spot oil prices, even when the oil price itself is flat.
Other risks include:
- Sharp volatility.
- Geopolitical shocks that can reverse quickly.
- Concentration in a single commodity.
- No income.
- Currency exposure for Canadians, since the fund is priced in U.S. dollars.
USO is structured as a limited partnership that issues a K-1 tax form. Canadian investors should look into U.S. tax reporting, possible withholding, T1135 foreign-property reporting for non-registered accounts, and whether the units are suitable for registered accounts. Confirm the details with your broker and a tax professional.
2. BNO — United States Brent Oil Fund, LP
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNO | US$60.57 | US$754.11 million | 1.00% | +116.09% |
Objective: BNO follows Brent crude, the international benchmark priced off seaborne oil, through futures traded on ICE Futures Europe. Its benchmark is the nearest-expiry Brent contract. Within roughly two weeks of expiry, the benchmark switches to the next month, and the fund moves its positions over about four days. Like USO, it holds Treasuries and cash as collateral and does not take delivery of oil.
Brent is often the most direct gauge of global supply disruptions. When Middle East tensions push prices up, a Brent-based fund captures that move, and 2026 delivered exactly that kind of environment.
Risk: BNO shares USO’s mechanics and risks: contango and backwardation, roll costs, price swings and no income. Long-term returns can differ from spot Brent. It is also a single-commodity fund, so it offers no diversification. Brent and WTI usually move together, but the gap between them can widen, so holding both USO and BNO does not spread risk.
The partnership structure raises the same Canadian questions: K-1 reporting, possible U.S. withholding, T1135 filing when the fund is held outside a registered account, and U.S.-dollar conversion. A high YTD figure for an oil fund says nothing about where crude goes next, and a ceasefire or a supply increase can reverse gains fast.
3. DRAM — Roundhill Memory ETF
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRAM | US$59.61 | US$24.6 billion | 0.65% | +103.69% |
Objective: DRAM is an actively managed fund focused on companies that make memory and data-storage chips. That includes DRAM (the fast working memory that computers and servers use), NAND flash (the storage in solid-state drives) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). HBM is stacked memory that sits beside AI processors and feeds them data quickly. Memory is often described as a bottleneck in AI infrastructure. Data centres running large AI models need far more memory than conventional servers, and suppliers have enjoyed unusual pricing power.
The portfolio is concentrated in SK hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron, with smaller positions in names such as Kioxia, Sandisk, Western Digital and Seagate. The manager can also use derivatives, including total-return swaps, to add exposure. DRAM is a young fund that launched in April 2026, so it has a short track record.
Risk: Memory has historically been one of the most cyclical corners of technology. Prices, inventories and capital spending swing between shortage and glut. When chipmakers build capacity in response to high prices, supply can eventually overshoot demand and prices can fall. The top three holdings make up roughly three-quarters of the portfolio, so a problem at one company matters a great deal. Exposure also skews toward South Korea, so currency (the Korean won) and geopolitical risk apply.
Swaps add counterparty risk and can push total exposure above 100% of assets. Active management adds manager risk. DRAM is a specialized thematic holding, not a diversified core ETF, and its 2026 gains reflect an unusually strong upcycle that may not repeat.
4. AIS — VistaShares Artificial Intelligence Supercycle ETF
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIS | US$72.26 | US$982.13 million | 0.75% | +86.72% |
Objective: AIS takes a “picks and shovels” approach to artificial intelligence. Rather than owning mainly the software and platform giants that market AI products, it targets companies supplying the physical and technical inputs. Those include semiconductors and chip equipment, memory and storage, networking gear, data-centre power and cooling equipment, and some software. The fund follows a rules-based index with active oversight and holds roughly 50 to 70 names across the U.S., Taiwan, China and other markets.
The appeal is breadth across the AI supply chain. A single chipmaker’s stumble hurts less when the portfolio also holds power-equipment or networking firms. In 2026, spending on data centres and AI hardware has been strong, and the fund has benefited.
Risk: Broader than a single-industry fund does not mean diversified. Semiconductors make up roughly half of the portfolio, and the fund’s largest holdings have included SK hynix and Micron, the same names that drive DRAM. Everything depends on continued heavy AI capital spending. If hyperscalers trim budgets, or if investors decide valuations got ahead of earnings, the whole group can fall together.
Other risks include active-management and index-selection risk, exposure to Taiwan and China, currency risk and a limited track record. AIS is a thematic satellite holding, not a core building block.
5. FLKR — Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLKR | US$59.41 | US$1.65 billion | 0.09% | +79.98% |
Objective: FLKR tracks the FTSE South Korea Capped Index, a market-cap-weighted index of large and mid-sized Korean companies. It holds well over 100 stocks across technology, industrials, financials and autos, and it pays dividends twice a year. It is the only fund on the U.S. list with a broad-market mandate and the lowest fee on either list.
South Korea sits at the centre of the global chip supply chain. SK hynix and Samsung Electronics dominate HBM and memory production. When AI demand lifted memory stocks, it lifted the Korean market.
Risk: A broad country fund can still depend on a few industries. SK hynix and Samsung together have accounted for roughly 40% to 50% of FLKR at various points this year, and technology has made up well over half the portfolio. Its performance therefore overlaps heavily with DRAM and semiconductor funds. FLKR’s returns will also depend on the Korean won against the U.S. dollar, and Canadians add a third layer, the U.S.-dollar-to-Canadian-dollar rate.
Other risks include:
- Geopolitical tension on the Korean peninsula.
- Dependence on exports and global trade.
- Corporate-governance concerns tied to large family-controlled conglomerates.
- The semiconductor cycle.
Even the “core” fund on this list carries concentrated exposure to a hot theme.
Top 5 Best-Performing Canadian ETFs of 2026
1. AMDY — Harvest AMD Enhanced High Income Shares ETF
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMDY | C$42.19 | C$172.81 million | 2.11% | +107.32% |
Objective: AMDY invests, directly or indirectly, in shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a chip designer known for processors and AI accelerators. It layers two features on top of plain stock ownership.
- Covered calls. The manager sells call options on up to about half of the portfolio. An option gives the buyer the right to purchase AMD at a set price. The buyer pays a premium, and that premium funds monthly distributions.
- Modest leverage. The fund borrows to hold roughly 25% more AMD exposure than its net assets, aiming to enhance both income and growth.
Units trade in Canadian dollars with U.S.-dollar exposure unhedged. Distributions vary month to month. The fund does not hold a basket of companies, so it is not a diversified ETF.
Risk: AMDY’s fate is tied to one stock. If AMD falls sharply, the fund falls too, and leverage amplifies the loss. Covered calls cap upside. If AMD surges past the strike price, the fund gives up gains above that level in exchange for the premium already collected. In a strong rally, a covered-call fund can lag the stock. In a big decline, the premium only softens the fall.
Distributions can include income, capital gains and return of capital, so they do not guarantee that invested capital is protected. Because of that, YTD price performance may differ from total return. A high distribution yield is not a high investment return. The fund’s 2.11% expense ratio also warrants attention. Fees weigh more on funds with complex strategies.
2. CRWY — Harvest CrowdStrike Enhanced High Income Shares ETF
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRWY | C$21.38 | C$124.18 million | Not available | +87.71% |
Objective: CRWY applies the same enhanced-income design to CrowdStrike, a cloud-based cybersecurity company known for endpoint protection, which secures the laptops, servers and cloud workloads that connect to a company’s network. The fund holds CrowdStrike stock, writes covered calls on up to about half the position, and uses roughly 25% leverage to enhance income. Distributions are paid monthly in Canadian dollars. The fund began trading on the TSX in January 2026, so its history is short.
Risk: CRWY shares all of AMDY’s risks: single-stock concentration, capped upside, amplified losses and distributions that are not a guaranteed return. It is not a diversified ETF, and it is not a cybersecurity industry fund either. It reflects one company’s execution, valuation and news flow. Cybersecurity software stocks can be highly valued, and a single earnings disappointment or a service outage can move the share price sharply. Read the prospectus for the fund’s fee structure and distribution policy, and keep price performance separate from income received.
3. XCHP — iShares Semiconductor Index ETF
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XCHP | C$129.51 | C$326.76 million | 0.39% | +76.49% |
Objective: XCHP tracks an index of about 30 of the largest U.S.-listed semiconductor companies. The index caps each of the top five holdings at 8% and every other holding at 4%. Holdings have included Nvidia, Micron, AMD, Broadcom, Intel, Marvell and equipment makers such as Applied Materials. The fund is a passive, plain index product with no options overlay and no leverage.
It is more diversified than AMDY or CRWY, because it spreads exposure across designers, memory makers and equipment suppliers. That diversification stays within one industry, so it does not protect against a sector downturn. Units trade in Canadian dollars, but the underlying stocks are priced in U.S. dollars, and the fund does not hedge that exposure.
Risk: Semiconductors are cyclical. Demand, inventories and pricing swing, and companies invest heavily in capacity based on forecasts. AI spending is the current engine of growth, so a slowdown in data-centre budgets would hit the group hard. Export controls and trade restrictions, especially between the U.S. and China, can disrupt revenue. Valuation risk grows after big rallies.
For Canadians, the U.S.-dollar exposure cuts both ways: a weaker Canadian dollar boosts returns, and a stronger one erodes them. Semiconductors can be volatile and are not a substitute for a broad market ETF.
4. HXE — Global X S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index Corporate Class ETF
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HXE | C$64.07 | C$152.56 million | 0.46% | +56.04% |
Objective: HXE seeks to replicate the total-return performance of the S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index. The index measures Canadian energy companies, mostly oil and gas producers and integrated firms such as Canadian Natural Resources, Suncor and Cenovus. It excludes refining, storage and transportation, and coal companies, and no single issuer can exceed 25% of the index weight.
The fund uses a corporate-class structure and a total-return swap. In a swap, a financial institution agrees to pay the fund the index’s total return, including dividends, in exchange for a fee. The fund does not directly hold the stocks. Because the swap accumulates the dividends inside the price, HXE is not expected to make regular taxable distributions. The intent is to convert what would be income into capital appreciation, which can be more tax-efficient in a non-registered account. Tax rules for corporate-class structures can change, so confirm the fund’s current treatment in its offering documents.
Risk: HXE’s swap adds counterparty risk. If the financial institution failed to deliver, the fund could suffer. Sector concentration is high: a handful of large producers drive results, and their profits depend on oil and natural-gas prices, pipeline access and regulation, including carbon policy. Energy stocks can lag oil prices during a spike, because markets often price in a lower long-term oil price. HXE’s +56.04% YTD gain is well below USO’s +124.78%, which illustrates that oil and oil stocks are related but not the same.
The lack of regular distributions means little cash flow, which does not suit every investor’s goals.
5. CYBR — Evolve Cyber Security Index Fund
| Ticker | Price | AUM | Expense Ratio | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CYBR | C$78.02 | C$206.12 million | 0.63% | +52.20% |
Objective: CYBR tracks the Solactive Global Cyber Security Index, which holds global companies that provide security software, hardware and services. Holdings have included Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, CrowdStrike and Check Point. The ticker CYBR refers to the class hedged to Canadian dollars, while an unhedged class and a U.S.-dollar class trade under other tickers. Only one class is counted in the ranking. The fund is passive and rebalances quarterly.
The investment case rests on structural demand. Organizations face constant cyber threats, and security spending is often treated as non-discretionary. Many security vendors sell subscriptions, which create recurring revenue.
Risk: Cybersecurity valuations can be demanding, and growth stocks fall hard when expectations slip. Competition is intense, and technology shifts, including AI-driven threats and defences, can make today’s leader tomorrow’s laggard. Industry consolidation and a major security incident can also shift fortunes.
The Canadian-dollar hedge reduces the effect of U.S.-dollar swings on returns, but it does not remove currency risk entirely. It also carries a cost and can behave differently from an unhedged class. Cybersecurity remains a thematic slice of the technology sector, not a substitute for broad-market exposure.
What These Performances Tell Us About 2026
Oil and Energy
Two of the top five U.S. funds are oil-futures products, and Canada’s fourth-ranked fund is an energy index. Geopolitics has been the story: a conflict involving Iran and worries about Gulf supply pushed crude sharply higher. Oil-driven inflation has also shaped central-bank decisions.
The lesson is that commodity funds can produce very large gains and very large losses depending on events outside anyone’s control.
Memory Chips and Semiconductor Demand
DRAM, XCHP and, indirectly, AIS and FLKR all draw on chip demand. Memory has moved from a commodity-like business to something closer to a supply bottleneck, and the price gains show it. Memory cycles have historically reversed, so strong pricing today does not mean it lasts.
Artificial-Intelligence Infrastructure
AIS makes the AI infrastructure story explicit, but the theme runs through much of the list. Data centres need chips, memory, power equipment and security. If AI budgets keep rising, the whole chain benefits. If they stall, every fund tied to it is exposed.
South Korea’s Role in the Global Technology Supply Chain
FLKR’s ranking is less about “Korea” and more about the few Korean companies that make advanced memory. This is a reminder to look through a fund’s label to its top holdings.
Concentrated Single-Stock Income Strategies
AMDY and CRWY sit at the top of the Canadian list because AMD and CrowdStrike performed strongly and the funds added leverage. The same design magnifies drops. Distributions do not signal safety.
Canadian Energy
HXE offers oil-price exposure through Canadian producers rather than futures. The gap between HXE and USO shows how differently these routes can behave.
Cybersecurity
CYBR shows a different kind of growth: steady demand rather than a supply shock. Its gains are the smallest on this list, which fits a theme with less cyclical swing than memory or oil.
The Overlap Between Funds and Themes
Ten tickers do not mean ten independent ideas. SK hynix appears in DRAM, AIS and FLKR. Micron appears in DRAM, AIS and XCHP. AMD is the sole holding of AMDY and a component of XCHP. CrowdStrike is the single holding in CRWY and a constituent of CYBR. Oil price moves drive USO, BNO and HXE. An investor holding several of these funds may own the same risk several times.
How to Integrate These ETFs Into Your Portfolio
These funds are better thought of as possible satellite holdings around a diversified core than as core holdings. A core portfolio built on broad-market ETFs should generally stay separate from thematic or momentum positions, so that one bad theme does not decide your whole outcome. This section is general education, not personalized advice, and it does not suggest allocation percentages.
Growth Profile — Five-Year or Longer Horizon
Long-horizon investors tend to prefer diversified funds. In this ranking, FLKR is a broad country fund with a low fee, though it leans heavily on chip companies. XCHP is a diversified semiconductor fund, and AIS and CYBR spread exposure across a theme. Each is still a bet on a single industry or country. DRAM, AMDY and CRWY are far more concentrated. Consider whether you could hold through a decline of 40% or more.
Tactical Profile — Momentum and Thematic Positions
USO and BNO are tactical commodity vehicles. Futures rolling makes them awkward as long-term holdings. Momentum investors should think about exit rules and position size before buying, because trends can reverse sharply.
Income-Focused Profile
Only some funds here pay distributions. AMDY and CRWY pay monthly, but their payouts vary, depend on option premiums and can include return of capital. FLKR pays semi-annually and modestly, and HXE is not expected to make regular distributions. Investors seeking dependable income should compare a fund’s distribution with its total return, not just its yield.
Whatever your profile, consider your time horizon and how much loss you can tolerate.
Conclusion
Three forces shaped the 2026 leaderboard. Oil prices reacted to geopolitical conflict. Artificial-intelligence spending pushed memory chips and semiconductors higher. Investors also rewarded concentrated single-stock strategies that used leverage and covered calls. The overlap between funds suggests fewer independent ideas than the ten tickers imply.
This ranking is a research starting point, not a buy list. Before adding any of these funds, read the prospectus and ETF Facts, and think about where the fund fits in your plan and how much of a drop you could live with.
