ETFs Last Week: These 5 Funds Defied Wall Street's Bloodbath

Global markets were shaken last week when President Donald Trump rolled out bold new tariffs, fueling the specter of a full-blown trade war and causing one of Wall Street’s most precipitous selloffs since the pandemic crash of 2020. With China and other trading giants retaliating, investor panic sent the S&P 500 plummeting 10.5% over two days, with the Nasdaq 100 dropping into bear market lands. In the midst of mayhem, volatility skyrocketed—and a handful of bear and volatility-biased ETFs were rare beneficiaries.

Also Read: Trump’s ‘Reciprocal Tariff’ Math: A Masterclass In Economic Absurdity

These are five ETFs that posted exceptional performances amid the carnage in the markets:

ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF VIXY – 45.5% up
This volatility spike-profiting ETF jumped as panicked investors rushed to buy protection. It is tied to an index of CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) futures contracts .

iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN VXX – 45.4% up
Another crowd puller VIX-tied offering, VXX saw comparable returns, taking advantage of the meteoric spike in expectations for volatility as markets got hit with a dose of uncertainty.

Direxion Daily MU Bear 1X Shares MUD – 28.7% up
This short-daily version inverse ETF follows Micron Technology daily performance that took a brutal hit during the tech sell-off. As stocks that produce computer chips fell, MUD received significant flows.

DailyDelta Q100 Downside Option Strategy ETF QDWN – 26.2% up
QDOW employs a downside options overlay in Nasdaq 100 stocks, providing a hedge during declines. Its method profited richly in the rout last week.

Direxion Daily AI and Big Data Bear 2X Shares AIBD – 22.8% up
Shorting the AI and big data industry, this inverse leveraged ETF rocketed as high-growth tech stocks underwent severe corrections.

Details From Last Week

Global markets dived in the first week of the new quarter following Trump’s declaration of broad new tariffs, dubbing it “Liberation Day.” The U.S. imposed sharp and differentiated tariffs—34% on China, 20–26% on the EU, Japan, and India—while exempting Canada and Mexico under USMCA terms. China struck back, triggering fears of an all-out trade war.

The tariff scale’s unexpected size shook up investors. The S&P 500 experienced its most significant weeklong loss since March 2020, down 10.5% over only two days, a historic slide that only happened a few times in the recent past. The Nasdaq 100 slipped into bear territory, down more than 20% from its peak in February, driven by sharp declines in financial and technology shares. Apple lost the most two days of trading since 2008.

Oil prices likewise fell 10%, stung by demand woes and OPEC+’s unexpected production surge. Fed chief Jerome Powell made no immediate relief rate cut promise, much as Trump had beckoned. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent controversially pinned market rout on China’s AI accomplishment rather than on the tariffs.

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