## [# Most Searched ETFs Of 2019](/sections/news/most-searched-etfs-2019)
# Most Searched ETFs Of 2019
We take a closer look at which funds readers were most interested in.
[](/contributors/lara-crigger)
[By Lara Crigger](/contributors/lara-crigger)
Dec 17, 2019
Edited by: Lara Crigger
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For ETFs, 2019 was the best of times, it was the worst—actually, no, it was pretty much just the best of times. Between the fee wars, the long-awaited ETF Rule and [more than 200 new products](https://www.etf.com/publications/etfr/top-launches-2019) hitting the market, this was yet another banner year for ETF issuers and investors alike.
As 2019 comes to a wrap, we thought it might be fun to look back on which fund reports got the most traffic in searches and talk about why they spark investor curiosity.
**No. 1: QQQ**
ETF.com readers' favorite fund needs little introduction. The [**Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ)**](https://www.etf.com/QQQ) is one of the oldest, largest and most liquid ETFs around. (Read: "[ETF Of The Week: The Weirdest Fund Turns 20](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/etf-week-weirdest-fund-turns-20).")
With roughly $84 billion in assets under management (AUM), QQQ trades like a dream, making it by far investors' favorite proxy on the tech sector. QQQ is far from a pure play, however. Under the hood is a quirky mash-up of Nasdaq's biggest names, with more than one-third in nontech, nonfinancial securities.
Year to date, QQQ is up 35.1%.
**No. 2: MJ**
Marijuana had an exciting 2019, with seven new ETFs launched (including [the first leveraged take](https://www.etf.com/sections/daily-etf-watch/2x-cannabis-etn-launches)) and more than a half-billion in new net inflows. So it's no wonder that the [**ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ**)](https://www.etf.com/MJ) remains a top draw for traders and retail investors alike fascinated by the promise of this budding new sector. (Read: "[The Year In Marijuana ETFs.](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/year-marijuana-etfs)")
As the largest [cannabis ETF](https://www.etf.com/topics/marijuana-etfs), as well as the first to market, MJ has become something of a proxy for the marijuana industry writ large, even though the fund itself isn't precisely a pure play. (Its portfolio includes forward-looking stocks, such as alcohol, tobacco and fertilizer companies.) MJ is also no stranger to [controversy](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/marijuana-etf-shifts-custody) or [poor performance](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/dude-wheres-my-pot-etf-returns).
Still, with $702 million in AUM, MJ remains the go-to in the space; and while its seven competitors have tried to chip away at its dominance, so far none has been particularly successful.
MJ is down 28.4% year to date.
**No. 3: SPY; No. 4: VOO; No. 9: IVV**
It's telling that in a year that saw a deluge of new smart beta, thematic, active and even multifactor ETFs, the funds that attracted the most investor interest were those offering low-cost market beta—the same core equity exposure that has always made up the building blocks of any portfolio.
The [**SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)**](https://www.etf.com/SPY), the [**Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)**](https://www.etf.com/VOO) and the [**iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV)**](https://www.etf.com/IVV) together make up three of the four largest ETFs on the market. (VTI is the third; see below.)
They're also among the cheapest, with VOO costing 3 basis points and IVV costing 4 bps. (SPY costs 0.09%.) As the ETF fee wars rage on, we expect these three funds to remain top of mind for readers. (Read: "[Fund Fee Wars Save Investors Billions](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/fund-fee-wars-save-investors-billions).")
Year to date, SPY, VOO and IVV are up 28.7%, 28.8% and 28.7%, respectively.
**No. 5: VYM**
The [**Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (VYM)**](https://www.etf.com/VYM) is one of two [high dividend ETFs](https://www.etf.com/topics/dividends-etfs) to end up on this list, which makes a lot of sense in context: Interest rates may be rising, but still they remain at historical lows, leaving investors scrambling for any sort of income they can find. (Read: "[Using Dividend ETFs For Income.](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/yield-etfs)")
VYM takes a smart-beta-lite approach toward security selection: Firms in its selection universe are ranked by their forecasted dividends over the next 12-month period, then the top half of those are included in the index. Securities are then weighted by market cap, rather than by dividend.
That leads to a diverse, yet relatively cheap, dividend-oriented portfolio. Currently, VYM offers a distribution yield of 3.01%. While higher yields can be found elsewhere, at 0.06% in expenses, VYM is the cheapest game in town.
VYM is up 22.1%, year to date.
**No. 6: XLK**
Tech stocks continue to be the engine driving U.S. equity markets higher, which explains why readers keep coming back to the [**Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK)**](https://www.etf.com/XLK).
Like QQQ, XLK is a tech sector proxy, but the State Street fund is far more of a pure play. All the biggest S&P 500 tech names can be found within, though [Microsoft (MSFT)](https://www.etf.com/stock/MSFT) and [Apple (AAPL)](https://www.etf.com/stock/AAPL) together comprise almost 40% of XLK's portfolio.
But as with the other SPDR sector funds, XLK's greatest asset is its deep, robust liquidity. Almost $712 million in shares trade daily, at pennywide spreads or better, making XLK an ideal choice for sector rotation strategies or tactical allocations.
Year to date, XLK is up 45.8%. (Read: "[Best Performing Tech ETFs Of The Year.](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/best-performing-tech-etfs-year)")
**\#7: VTI**
For much the same reasons driving SPY, VOO and IVV's popularity, the [**Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)**](https://www.etf.com/VTI) continues to be one of the most popular funds on our site—and one of Vanguard's most popular funds, too. VTI alone accounts for over 12% of [Vanguard'](https://www.etf.com/topics/vanguard-etfs)s $1.11 trillion in AUM. (Read: "[Vanguard Crosses $1 Trillion In ETF Assets.](https://www.etf.com/sections/daily-etf-watch/vanguard-crosses-1-trillion-etf-assets)")
It's obvious why: VTI offers one-stop shopping for the U.S. equity market, offering exposure to a jaw-dropping 3,575 securities for just 3 bps. You want low-cost beta? VTI has it in spades.
In fact, it's hard to say anything exciting about VTI, but we'd argue that's part of its charm: The fund is truly a no-muss, no-fuss U.S. stock exposure.
VTI is up 28.2% year to date.
**No. 8: SPHD**
As the second dividend-focused ETF on this list, the [**Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD)**](https://www.etf.com/SPHD) is also the only truly smart beta fund among our readers' favorites.
SPHD selects the 50 least volatile names from the 75 highest-dividend yielding stocks in the S&P 500 Index. That gives SPHD a narrower portfolio than VYM, but also a higher distribution yield of 4.11%.
Funds have been steadily rolling into SPHD all year, with the fund seeing roughly $825 million in net inflows year to date. As such, SPHD has been a dark horse that has slipped under most people's radar, but we spotted the uptick in inflows all the way back in March. (Read: "[Money Pours Into Multifactor US ETFs.](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/money-pours-multifactor-us-etfs)")
Year to date, SPHD has returned 17.8%.
**No. 10: VNQ**
Real estate was 2019's stealth performance standout: Buoyed by ultra-low interest rates, the sector had the year's second-highest returns, just behind technology. (Read: "[Best Performing Real Estate ETFs](https://www.etf.com/sections/features-and-news/best-performing-real-estate-etfs).")
Many investors looking to ride the real estate train looked no further than the [**Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ)**](https://www.etf.com/VNQ), by far the largest real estate fund around. (It's *six times* larger than its nearest competitor, which is also a Vanguard fund.)
VNQ is diverse and cheap, with massive liquidity and pennywide (or better) spreads. Without being too broad, the fund covers all the major real estate bases: commercial, specialty, residential and more. It's a great proxy for real estate, and a perennial favorite with our readership.
VNQ has returned 24.2% year to date.
*Contact Lara Crigger at* [*lcrigger@etf.com*](mailto:lcrigger@etf.com)
[ Lara Crigger ](/contributors/lara-crigger)
Lara Crigger is a veteran financial writer with more than twenty years' experience writing about ETFs, markets, and investor education. Formerly… [View Bio](/contributors/lara-crigger)
Related Topics [Smart-Beta](http://www.etf.com/topics/smart-beta)
[Equity](http://www.etf.com/topics/equity)
[U.S.](http://www.etf.com/topics/us)
[Global](http://www.etf.com/topics/global)
[Dividend](http://www.etf.com/topics/dividend)