The latest wave of the technology boom is apparent in the choices of Fidelity’s ETF buyers last month. Exchange-traded funds that specialise in semiconductors, space and quantum computing all made the top 10 list in May, alongside perennial favourites such as global trackers.
The top three places were all unchanged from the previous month; they were taken respectively by the Vanguard FTSE All-World, VanEck Semiconductor and Vanguard S&P 500 ETFs. While savers have long put money into the two tracker funds, VanEck Semiconductor owes its appearance to investors’ renewed enthusiasm for the makers of CPUs and GPUs – the ‘brains’ of computers – and memory chips, which are needed to power the AI boom. The ETF has gained 186% over the past year. Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
The fourth most popular ETF among customers of Fidelity Personal Investing was VanEck Space Innovators. This fund too has performed spectacularly, with a gain of 230% over the past 12 months. Its largest holdings include Rocket Lab Corp, a satellite launch company, Planet Labs, which provides satellite imaging, and Viasat, a satellite broadband firm. All three are listed in New York.
A more placid performance can be expected from the fifth-placed ETF, Amundi Smart Overnight Return, which is in effect a cash fund. The ETF, which was in fourth position in April, currently yields 4.1% (variable and not guaranteed).
The next three places were occupied by global trackers, Vanguard FTSE Developed World, State Street SPDR MSCI All Country World and Invesco FTSE All-World. Although they are similar, the first avoids emerging markets while the other two cover both developed and emerging markets (although index compliers’ definitions of those categories vary).
In ninth position is another fund that offers access to a new breakthrough technology, in this case quantum computing. This week Microsoft said it had developed a quantum chip vastly more reliable than its previous version, paving the way for a quantum computer able to solve commercially useful problems within three years. Microsoft is a 3.1% holding in the VanEck Quantum Computing ETF, which also has stakes in Intel, IBM, Amazon and Alphabet (Google). This is another fund to have performed very strongly, with a gain of 70.4% over the past year.
Rounding off the table was another fund to appear regularly in the top 10, the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index ETF, a member of our Select 50 list of recommended funds.
Top 10 best-selling ETFs on Fidelity Personal Investing in May 2026
- Vanguard FTSE All-World
- VanEck Semiconductor
- Vanguard S&P 500
- VanEck Space Innovators
- Amundi Smart Overnight Return
- Vanguard FTSE Developed World
- State Street SPDR MSCI All Country World
- Invesco FTSE All-World
- VanEck Quantum Computing
- iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index
Source: Fidelity International. Net ETF sales 1–31 May 2026 for Personal Investors only.
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