The Worst Sector ETFs 2025
The Worst 50 Sector Indices for ETFs in 2025
| Investment focus Index | 4 Week Chart | 52 Week Low/High | in 2026 | in 2025 | in 2024 | in 2023 | in 2022 | Number of ETFs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity India Technology S&P India Tech |  |  | -18.44% | -19.79% | - | - | - | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Social/Environmental Solactive Digital Payments |  |  | 4.25% | -18.04% | 22.20% | 14.83% | -26.17% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Technology BVP Nasdaq Emerging Cloud |  |  | 29.77% | -17.41% | 14.15% | 34.69% | -48.76% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Indxx Global Cloud Computing |  |  | 39.56% | -16.62% | 12.80% | 36.22% | -36.37% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Indxx Global Fintech Thematic |  |  | -10.97% | -16.51% | 30.78% | 28.21% | -49.23% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity World Technology Indxx Cybersecurity |  |  | 72.17% | -16.18% | 16.87% | 36.19% | -29.58% | 1 ETF |
| Equity Europe Media STOXX® Europe 600 Optimised Media |  |  | 0.18% | -13.07% | 18.63% | 25.80% | -9.97% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Social/Environmental WisdomTree Team8 Cybersecurity UCITS |  |  | 84.45% | -13.04% | 18.80% | 60.60% | -38.33% | 1 ETF |
| Equity Europe Media STOXX® Europe 600 Media |  |  | 0.65% | -12.91% | 17.39% | 26.79% | -11.22% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Technology KBW Nasdaq Financial Technology |  |  | 3.28% | -12.05% | 42.32% | 28.23% | -27.64% | 1 ETF |
| Equity Europe Technology MSCI Europe Information Technology 20/35 Capped |  |  | -8.08% | -11.74% | 0.70% | 37.31% | -28.82% | 3 ETFs |
| Equity World Technology Social/Environmental Solactive Cybersecurity Leaders |  |  | 65.08% | -10.58% | 16.72% | 39.79% | -28.14% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Health Care Social/Environmental MVIS Global Bionic Healthcare ESG |  |  | -6.05% | -10.38% | 5.45% | 0.97% | - | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Energy Morningstar MLP Composite |  |  | 28.72% | -9.98% | 30.79% | 14.36% | 38.96% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity United States Consumer Staples S&P Consumer Staples Select Sector Daily Capped 35/20 |  |  | 15.09% | -9.45% | 20.14% | -4.77% | 4.94% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Industrials VettaFi American Future of Defence |  |  | -13.98% | -8.89% | 29.82% | 59.27% | - | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Consumer Staples S&P Select Sector Capped 20% Consumer Staples |  |  | 15.05% | -8.61% | 21.55% | -3.50% | 4.97% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Consumer Staples S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Consumer Staples |  |  | 15.10% | -8.48% | 21.27% | -3.40% | 5.00% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Consumer Staples MSCI USA Consumer Staples |  |  | 15.65% | -8.46% | 21.15% | -2.64% | 4.99% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Social/Environmental S&P Kensho Global Cyber Security Screened |  |  | 53.52% | -8.13% | - | - | - | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Consumer Staples Social/Environmental S&P Developed Ex-Korea LargeMidCap Sustainability Enhanced Consumer Staples |  |  | 9.93% | -7.64% | 9.49% | -3.81% | - | 2 ETFs |
| Equity World Technology Social/Environmental iSTOXX® FactSet Digitalisation |  |  | 18.32% | -7.39% | 29.62% | 27.14% | -31.99% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Energy S&P Commodity Producers Oil & Gas Exploration & Production |  |  | 39.65% | -7.33% | 6.14% | -2.20% | 47.35% | 1 ETF |
| Equity North America Energy Dividend Alerian Midstream Energy Corporation Dividend |  |  | 32.76% | -6.98% | 42.09% | 9.49% | 28.13% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Consumer Staples MSCI World Consumer Staples Advanced Select 20 35 Capped |  |  | 8.75% | -6.80% | 9.11% | -0.31% | -0.30% | 1 ETF |
| Equity Europe Basic Materials STOXX® Europe 600 Optimised Chemicals |  |  | 19.69% | -6.53% | -7.24% | 15.70% | -16.89% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Indxx Global Internet of Things Thematic |  |  | 37.87% | -5.79% | 5.63% | 18.34% | -20.80% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Consumer Discretionary MSCI World Consumer Discretionary Advanced Select 20 35 Capped |  |  | 1.16% | -5.71% | 22.29% | 31.47% | -29.25% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity United States Health Care Dow Jones US Select Medical Equipment Capped 35/20 |  |  | -13.81% | -5.45% | 17.70% | 0.78% | -14.72% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Energy S&P Select Sector Capped 20% Energy |  |  | 58.11% | -5.37% | 11.14% | -4.60% | 73.10% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Consumer Discretionary S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Consumer Discretionary |  |  | 2.17% | -5.25% | 38.33% | 37.03% | -33.00% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity World Consumer Discretionary Social/Environmental S&P Developed Ex-Korea LargeMidCap Sustainability Enhanced Consumer Discretionary |  |  | -0.63% | -5.23% | 29.59% | 28.76% | - | 2 ETFs |
| Equity United States Consumer Discretionary MSCI USA Consumer Discretionary 20/35 Custom |  |  | 2.16% | -5.22% | 38.77% | 36.98% | -33.96% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Energy MSCI USA Energy 20/35 Custom |  |  | 56.24% | -5.08% | 13.10% | -5.36% | 73.95% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Nasdaq CTA Cybersecurity |  |  | 63.46% | -4.83% | 25.75% | 34.39% | -22.14% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology Social/Environmental ISE Cyber Security UCITS |  |  | 77.34% | -4.70% | 25.21% | 34.94% | -27.48% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Energy S&P 500 Capped 35/20 Energy |  |  | 55.15% | -4.67% | 11.78% | -5.20% | 74.72% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Energy S&P Energy Select Sector Daily Capped 35/20 |  |  | 55.04% | -4.58% | 12.01% | -4.59% | 73.99% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Energy Social/Environmental S&P Developed Ex-Korea LargeMidCap ESG Enhanced Energy |  |  | 40.34% | -4.48% | 11.60% | - | - | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Consumer Discretionary MSCI World Consumer Discretionary |  |  | 0.48% | -4.37% | 29.07% | 30.23% | -29.24% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity United States Consumer Discretionary S&P Select Sector Capped 20% Consumer Discretionary |  |  | -1.67% | -4.34% | 35.84% | 33.60% | -29.72% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Energy MarketVector US Listed Oil Services 10% Capped |  |  | 44.48% | -4.30% | -2.25% | - | - | 1 ETF |
| Equity Europe Basic Materials STOXX® Europe 600 Chemicals |  |  | 18.74% | -3.93% | -7.12% | 16.50% | -14.92% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Consumer Staples MSCI World Consumer Staples |  |  | 11.32% | -3.86% | 12.41% | -1.21% | -0.32% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity United States Sector Strategy Value Shiller Barclays CAPE® US Sector Value |  |  | 8.23% | -3.61% | 23.46% | 23.76% | -9.94% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity United States Consumer Discretionary S&P Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Daily Capped 35/20 |  |  | 3.24% | -3.59% | 36.48% | 35.20% | -30.05% | 1 ETF |
| Equity United States Insurance Dow Jones U.S. Select Insurance |  |  | 10.07% | -3.47% | 36.11% | - | - | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Technology ISE Cloud Computing |  |  | 39.60% | -3.44% | 44.40% | 46.79% | -41.26% | 1 ETF |
| Equity World Health Care Solactive Telemedicine & Digital Health |  |  | 23.71% | -3.17% | 3.69% | -16.17% | -25.15% | 2 ETFs |
| Equity World Energy Social/Environmental S&P Developed Ex-Korea LargeMidCap Sustainability Enhanced Energy |  |  | 41.09% | -3.10% | 10.17% | -1.42% | - | 2 ETFs |
Source: justETF.com; As of 11/10/2026; Calculations in EUR based on the worst ETF of the respective index in 2025.
ETF Recommendations & Fund Selection
As an independent consumer portal, we are naturally not allowed to provide tailored financial advice or specific ETF recommendations. However, we have compiled essential information regarding exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to help you navigate the market and find the right investment for your portfolio.How to identify top-performing ETFs
Many investors feel overwhelmed by the sheer variety of products available. Our best advice: just get started and keep it simple. Often, purchasing a low-cost, globally diversified ETF is all you need. Which specific provider you choose for tracking the MSCI World index, for example, is entirely up to you. For a comprehensive overview of the best available options, please refer to our MSCI World Investment Guide.Key considerations when selecting an ETF
Crucially, you should avoid over-concentrating your portfolio, for instance, by relying solely on ETFs with heavy exposure to US equities, and instead aim for broad diversification. A further tip: alongside broad diversification, which can be easily achieved via a global equity index like the MSCI World, pay close attention to the fund's size (Assets Under Management, or AUM) and its track record. The larger and more established an ETF is, the less likely it is to be liquidated by the fund provider. You will also need to decide how you want the ETF to track its underlying index. The traditional method is physical replication, though synthetic ETFs are also widely available. You can find out more about this in our article on "Replication Methods of ETFs".justETF tip: Recently, ETFs utilising a hybrid replication method have also become available, effectively combining the advantages of both approaches. You can find out more about this in our dedicated article on "Hybrid Replication".