Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are often low-cost instruments for investors to track popular indexes or leverage experienced manager choices in an attempt to beat the market. The best ones serve as building blocks for a portfolio, and unlike open-end mutual funds, all ETFs are traded throughout the day on an exchange.

In April 2024, the worst performers included VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF (DAPP) and iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF (BLKC). Data in this article is sourced from Morningstar Direct.

To read about the best-performing ETFs, check out our other story.

To find the month’s worst-performing ETFs, we screened those in Morningstar’s Equity, Allocation, or Fixed-Income categories that are available in the UK. We excluded exchange-traded notes, known as ETNs, and ETFs with less than $25 million (£20.0 million) in total assets. We also excluded funds that fall into Morningstar’s “trading” categories, as these funds are designed for active traders and are not suitable for long-term investors.

Among the worst-performing ETFs, three were from the Indonesia equity category, where funds fell 7.23% in April.

The 10 Worst-Performing ETFs for April 2024

1. VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF (DAPP)
2. iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF (BLKC)
3. Invesco CoinShares Global Blockchain UCITS ETF  (BCHN)
4. Invesco Solar Energy UCITS ETF  (ISUN)
5. Xtrackers MSCI Europe Information Technology ESG Screened UCITS ETF  (XS8R)
6. HSBC MSCI Indonesia UCITS ETF  (HIDD)
7. Amundi MSCI Indonesia UCITS ETF  (INDO)
8. Xtrackers MSCI Indonesia Swap UCITS ETF (XMIN)
9. Invesco Real Estate S&P US Select Sector UCITS ETF (XRES)
10. WisdomTree Cloud Computing UCITS ETF (WCLD)

Metrics for the Worst-Performing ETFs

VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF

• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Ongoing Charge: 0.65%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology

The worst-performing ETF in April was the £93 million VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF, which lost 22.69%. The passively managed VanEck ETF fell further than the average 3.05% loss on funds in the equity technology category in April. Over the past 12 months, the VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF rose 66.74%, placing it in the 2nd percentile within its category and outperforming the 26.96% return on the average fund.

The VanEck Crypto & Blockchain Innovators UCITS ETF, launched in April 2021, has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Bronze.

iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF

• Morningstar Rating: N/A
• Ongoing Charge: 0.50%
• Morningstar Category: Equity Technology

With a 19.23% loss, the £35 million iShares Blockchain Technology UCITS ETF was the

Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, are often low-cost instruments for investors to track popular indexes or leverage experienced manager choices in an attempt to beat the market. The best ones serve as building blocks for a portfolio, and unlike open-end funds, all ETFs are traded throughout the day on an exchange.

In April 2024, the top-performing ETFs included Turkey equity funds Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF (TUR) and iShares MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF (IDTK). Data in this article is sourced from Morningstar Direct.

To find the month’s best-performing ETFs, we screened those in Morningstar’s Equity, Allocation, or Fixed-Income categories that are available in the UK. We excluded exchange-traded notes, known as ETNs, and ETFs with less than $25 million (£20.0 million) in total assets. We also excluded funds that fall into Morningstar’s “trading” categories, as these funds are designed for active traders and are not suitable for long-term investors.

Within our list, two funds fell into the Turkey equity category, where the average fund rose 15.94% in April.

The 10 Best-Performing ETFs for April 2024

1. Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF (TUR)
2. iShares MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF (IDTK)
3. Global X Silver Miners UCITS ETF (SILV)
4. Global X Copper Miners UCITS ETF (COPX)
5. iShares Copper Miners UCITS ETF (COPM)
6. Market Access NYSE Arca Gold BUSIndex UCITS ETF (M9SD)
7. Invesco STOXX Europe 600 Optimised Basic Resources UCITS ETF (SC0W)
8. iShares STOXX Europe 600 Basic Resources UCITS ETF (DE) (EXV6)
9. Xtrackers FTSE China 50 UCITS ETF (XX2D)
10. iShares China Large Cap UCITS ETF (FXC)

Metrics for the Best-Performing ETFs

Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF

• Morningstar Rating: ★★
• Ongoing Charge: 0.45%
• Morningstar Category: Turkey Equity

The £57 million Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF was the best-performing ETF in April, with a 15.45% return. The passively managed Amundi ETF performed roughly in line with the 15.94% gain on the average fund in Morningstar’s Turkey equity category for the month. Over the last 12 months, the Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF has returned 46.21%, underperforming the 48.61% gain on the average fund in its category, leaving the ETF in the 50th percentile.

The Amundi MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF has a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Neutral. It was launched in March 2019.

iShares MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF

• Morningstar Rating: ★
• Ongoing Charge: 0.74%
• Morningstar Category: Turkey Equity

The second-best-performing ETF in April was the £93 million iShares MSCI Turkey UCITS ETF. The passively managed iShares ETF returned 15.20%, roughly