5 ETFs That Beat Market Turmoil With Gains Last Week

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 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 PLTU

Weekly gain: 78.82%
Focus: Leveraged equity ETF that seeks to track 200% of the performance of Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR.
Expense ratio: 0.99%

AdvisorShares Psychedelics ETF 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 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 NERD

Weekly gain: 4.75%
Focus: Follows the Nasdaq CTA Global Video Games Software Index. Names like Nintendo, Roblox RBLX and Take-Two Interactive TTWO are included in this passively managed ETF’s portfolio.
Expense ratio: 0.50%

Defiance Connective Technologies ETF 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 GOOGL and Amazon AMZN, fell short of lofty expectations, weighing on markets despite support from Eli Lilly 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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