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Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Should You Follow the Lead of Billionaire Peter Thiel and Invest in Ethereum?
Key Points After a slow start to the year, Ethereum is up 56% over the past 30 days and is within striking distance of a new all-time high. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel (via his VC fund) recently took a 9% stake in a new Ethereum treasury company that is rapidly accumulating Ethereum. Investors now have a variety of ways to get exposure to Ethereum, including Ethereum treasury companies. 10 stocks we like better than Ethereum › Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), the world's second-largest cryptocurrency, has awakened from a long slumber. It has doubled in price in just the past three months. Over the past 30 days, it is up a dizzying 56%. So it's perhaps no surprise that billionaire investors are now looking for ways to get exposure to Ethereum. Case in point: Billionaire tech mogul Peter Thiel just announced a 9% stake in Bitmine Immersion Technologies (NYSEMKT: BMNR), a new Ethereum treasury company that is rapidly accumulating as much Ethereum as it possibly can. So should you also be looking for ways to invest in Ethereum? Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » The upside potential of Ethereum For the first few months of the year, investors largely ignored Ethereum, and it ranked among the worst-performing major cryptocurrencies. But the last few months have seen a confluence of several key events: the passage of new crypto legislation in Congress, the buzzy initial public offering (IPO) of stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL), and a new stock tokenization initiative from Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD). Each of these events, while they do not impact Ethereum directly, are very positive news for the future direction of the Ethereum blockchain. For example, the new stablecoin legislation assures a much greater role for stablecoins in the U.S. economy, and Ethereum just so happens to be the top blockchain for stablecoins. The new crypto markets legislation will likely lead to a blurring of the line between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi), and Ethereum just so happens to be the top blockchain for DeFi. On top of all that, the Ethereum treasury company business model -- in which a company ditches its old business model and commits to raising money from investors to buy massive amounts of Ethereum instead -- has suddenly gone mainstream. Since the end of May, three publicly traded companies have embraced this model. Just two months ago, Bitmine Immersion Technologies was a little-known Bitcoin mining company. Then it hired Wall Street strategist Tom Lee to be chairman, raised over $250 million from investors, and is now being talked about as "the MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) of Ethereum." Its stock price has gone absolutely bananas, and is up 900% since the Ethereum treasury company model went into action. Based on all this, there's now talk of Ethereum hitting $5,000 by the end of the summer, and $15,000 by the end of the year. Some have even suggested that Ethereum might zoom past $30,000. So it's no wonder Thiel (via the Founders Fund) is investing in Ethereum right now. The upside potential is just too big to ignore. Different ways to get exposure to Ethereum It's important to point out that Thiel is not buying Ethereum directly. He is also not buying Ethereum indirectly via a spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF). Instead, he's using a publicly traded company (i.e., Bitmine Immersion Technologies) as a proxy stock. This is the same approach we saw with MicroStrategy (now known as Strategy) before the new spot Bitcoin ETFs launched last year. People invested in Strategy to get exposure to Bitcoin. That was because Strategy had so much Bitcoin on its balance sheet that it was almost the same thing as investing in a spot Bitcoin ETF. In this case, however, Ethereum ETFs already exist. As a result, there should not be a need for a proxy stock. So why is Thiel choosing Bitmine Immersion Technologies as his preferred way to get exposure to Ethereum? Thiel is likely trying to capture the same type of market outperformance as Strategy, which is up a head-spinning 3,517% over the past five years. During that time period, Strategy has outperformed even Bitcoin. The growing consensus is that crypto treasury companies can markedly outperform the crypto that they are accumulating. Is Ethereum worth the hype? Just remember: There's a lot of hype and buzz right now surrounding Ethereum. The hope is that Ethereum will suddenly turn itself around and go all-in on stablecoins, DeFi, and tokenization. As a result, its crypto price will take off on a rocket ship, and Ethereum treasury companies will go along for the ride. But blockchains are not companies. They are incredibly decentralized organizations, relying on vast developer networks spanning the globe to make things happen. So there's no guarantee that Ethereum will strike while the iron is hot. Its legendary co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has said over and over again that he does not want Ethereum to become a "degenerate casino" motivated by greed and powered by Wall Street speculation. So keep your expectations in check. While Ethereum is certainly within striking distance of a new all-time high of $5,000, it will take a lot to go right for Ethereum to soar significantly higher than that. Should you invest $1,000 in Ethereum right now? Before you buy stock in Ethereum, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Ethereum wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $641,800!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,023,813!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,034% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Should You Follow the Lead of Billionaire Peter Thiel and Invest in Ethereum?
Key Points After a slow start to the year, Ethereum is up 56% over the past 30 days and is within striking distance of a new all-time high. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel (via his VC fund) recently took a 9% stake in a new Ethereum treasury company that is rapidly accumulating Ethereum. Investors now have a variety of ways to get exposure to Ethereum, including Ethereum treasury companies. 10 stocks we like better than Ethereum › Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), the world's second-largest cryptocurrency, has awakened from a long slumber. It has doubled in price in just the past three months. Over the past 30 days, it is up a dizzying 56%. So it's perhaps no surprise that billionaire investors are now looking for ways to get exposure to Ethereum. Case in point: Billionaire tech mogul Peter Thiel just announced a 9% stake in Bitmine Immersion Technologies (NYSEMKT: BMNR), a new Ethereum treasury company that is rapidly accumulating as much Ethereum as it possibly can. So should you also be looking for ways to invest in Ethereum? The upside potential of Ethereum For the first few months of the year, investors largely ignored Ethereum, and it ranked among the worst-performing major cryptocurrencies. But the last few months have seen a confluence of several key events: the passage of new crypto legislation in Congress, the buzzy initial public offering (IPO) of stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Group (NYSE: CRCL), and a new stock tokenization initiative from Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ: HOOD). Each of these events, while they do not impact Ethereum directly, are very positive news for the future direction of the Ethereum blockchain. For example, the new stablecoin legislation assures a much greater role for stablecoins in the U.S. economy, and Ethereum just so happens to be the top blockchain for stablecoins. The new crypto markets legislation will likely lead to a blurring of the line between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi), and Ethereum just so happens to be the top blockchain for DeFi. On top of all that, the Ethereum treasury company business model -- in which a company ditches its old business model and commits to raising money from investors to buy massive amounts of Ethereum instead -- has suddenly gone mainstream. Since the end of May, three publicly traded companies have embraced this model. Just two months ago, Bitmine Immersion Technologies was a little-known Bitcoin mining company. Then it hired Wall Street strategist Tom Lee to be chairman, raised over $250 million from investors, and is now being talked about as "the MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) of Ethereum." Its stock price has gone absolutely bananas, and is up 900% since the Ethereum treasury company model went into action. Based on all this, there's now talk of Ethereum hitting $5,000 by the end of the summer, and $15,000 by the end of the year. Some have even suggested that Ethereum might zoom past $30,000. So it's no wonder Thiel (via the Founders Fund) is investing in Ethereum right now. The upside potential is just too big to ignore. Different ways to get exposure to Ethereum It's important to point out that Thiel is not buying Ethereum directly. He is also not buying Ethereum indirectly via a spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF). Instead, he's using a publicly traded company (i.e., Bitmine Immersion Technologies) as a proxy stock. This is the same approach we saw with MicroStrategy (now known as Strategy) before the new spot Bitcoin ETFs launched last year. People invested in Strategy to get exposure to Bitcoin. That was because Strategy had so much Bitcoin on its balance sheet that it was almost the same thing as investing in a spot Bitcoin ETF. In this case, however, Ethereum ETFs already exist. As a result, there should not be a need for a proxy stock. So why is Thiel choosing Bitmine Immersion Technologies as his preferred way to get exposure to Ethereum? Thiel is likely trying to capture the same type of market outperformance as Strategy, which is up a head-spinning 3,517% over the past five years. During that time period, Strategy has outperformed even Bitcoin. The growing consensus is that crypto treasury companies can markedly outperform the crypto that they are accumulating. Is Ethereum worth the hype? Just remember: There's a lot of hype and buzz right now surrounding Ethereum. The hope is that Ethereum will suddenly turn itself around and go all-in on stablecoins, DeFi, and tokenization. As a result, its crypto price will take off on a rocket ship, and Ethereum treasury companies will go along for the ride. But blockchains are not companies. They are incredibly decentralized organizations, relying on vast developer networks spanning the globe to make things happen. So there's no guarantee that Ethereum will strike while the iron is hot. Its legendary co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, has said over and over again that he does not want Ethereum to become a "degenerate casino" motivated by greed and powered by Wall Street speculation. So keep your expectations in check. While Ethereum is certainly within striking distance of a new all-time high of $5,000, it will take a lot to go right for Ethereum to soar significantly higher than that. Should you invest $1,000 in Ethereum right now? Before you buy stock in Ethereum, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Ethereum wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $634,627!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,046,799!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,037% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Circle Internet Group, and Ethereum. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin and Ethereum. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Should You Follow the Lead of Billionaire Peter Thiel and Invest in Ethereum? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
10 No-Brainer Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now
Key Points The energy sector is volatile by nature given the uncertainty of oil and natural gas prices. Investors can tailor their energy holdings to suit their risk tolerance and investment needs. Long-term investors will likely gravitate toward different stocks than short-term traders. 10 stocks we like better than ExxonMobil › The one fact that has to be top of mind when looking at the energy sector is risk. That's because oil and natural gas prices are highly volatile and play a huge role in the financial performance of many energy stocks. But there are important nuances to consider before you hit the buy button on any stock. Below are 10 no-brainer energy stocks to buy now, with an explanation of which types of investors might want to buy them. 1. Punt with an energy ETF If what you really want is broad-based exposure to the energy sector, then picking individual stocks probably isn't going to be the best call for you. You'll be better off with an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that provides diversified exposure to the entire sector with one simple buy decision. Two good options are The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEMKT: XLE) and the Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF (NYSEMKT: VDE). Both have similar expense ratios and similar yields and either one would fit the bill for an investor looking for diversified energy exposure. 2. ExxonMobil is the industry giant That said, if you want to buy one company that covers a lot of ground in the energy sector, then industry giant ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) is probably a good call. It is an integrated energy company, which means that it operates across the energy value chain. That helps to smooth out the ups and downs in energy prices over time. Plus, the company has a strong balance sheet, which gives it the wherewithal to support its business and dividend through rough patches. Notably, the dividend has been increased annually for 43 years. The yield is currently around 3.6%. 3. Chevron is similar, but higher yielding Chevron (NYSE: CVX) is the closest competitor to Exxon, but only because they both hail from the United States. Chevron is a smaller company, but still a giant with a market cap of about $260 billion (Exxon's market cap is roughly $480 billion). Chevron also has a very strong balance sheet; however, its dividend yield is a bit more attractive at around 4.7%. Chevron is dealing with some company-specific issues right now (a difficult merger and operations in politically unstable countries), but the problems aren't likely to derail it over the long term. Yield-focused investors should feel pretty comfortable buying Chevron. 4. TotalEnergies weaves in a new business line Rounding out the integrated energy giants on this list is TotalEnergies (NYSE: TTE), which is a French energy giant. Like Exxon and Chevron, it has a large and diversified business. However, like its European peers, it tends to carry more debt and cash than its U.S. counterparts. It is financially strong, but more debt and cash isn't the same as just having a low level of debt. That said, TotalEnergies stands out in an important way: It is using cash flows from its oil and gas operations to invest in electricity and clean energy businesses. Thus, it is an energy stock with a clean energy twist. That makes TotalEnergies and its lofty 6.3% yield an attractive option for those that believe clean energy is a long-term growth platform. Note that U.S. investors have to pay French taxes on the dividends here, some of which can be claimed back come April 15. 5. Occidental Petroleum wants to play with the big boys There's one more interesting option in the integrated energy space, but it is at the lower end of the market cap spectrum. Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) has a market value of around $40 billion and a dividend yield of roughly 2.3%. Neither of those figures are standouts relative to fellow U.S. integrated energy giants like Exxon and Chevron. However, Occidental has big aspirations as it looks to grow its integrated energy business via acquisition. And given its relatively small size, growth will be easier to come by since it takes less sizable deals to move the needle. Notably, Warren Buffett helped Occidental outbid Chevron on a deal not too long ago and Berkshire Hathaway remains a large investor in the stock. (That said, Buffett also owns Chevron.) 6. Devon Energy is focused on oil and the United States Some investors, however, aren't looking for a diversified energy investment. They may have a strong conviction about the direction of energy prices and desire more direct exposure to the movements of oil and natural gas. If that sounds like you, you may want to consider Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN). Devon is a large onshore U.S. driller with material exposure to some of the most important energy-producing regions in the country. Recently the company has been focused on growing via bolt-on acquisitions, further enhancing its scale and expanding its geographic reach. The dividend yield is around 3%, but the real story here is going to be the impact that commodity prices have on the company's financial performance. 7. ConocoPhillips takes on the world If the idea of focusing on a pure-play energy driller sounds good but you want a bit more geographic diversification, then take a look at ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). This company is focused on exploration and production, but its portfolio includes the United States and 14 other countries, with operations that span from the onshore to the offshore. The stock has a 2.3% yield, and the company has a long history of supporting its dividend through good times and bad -- although the payout does fluctuate with energy prices. 8. Enterprise Products Partners sidesteps energy volatility So far, this list has included companies with direct exposure to energy volatility. But there's one segment of the energy sector that largely avoids that exposure -- the so-called midstream. Businesses like master limited partnership (MLP) Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD) own the energy infrastructure that helps to move oil and natural gas around the world. These businesses largely charge fees for the use of the assets. Enterprise is one of the largest players in North America and has a solid balance sheet, a well-supported distribution, and a lofty 6.9% distribution yield. That yield is supported by a distribution that has been increased annually for 26 consecutive years, which makes this a great option for income seekers. However, the yield will likely make up the lion's share of total return. 9. Enbridge brings in the clean (energy) Enbridge (NYSE: ENB) is another North American midstream giant, owning assets like pipelines that are integral to the world's energy markets regardless of the price of energy. It shares many of the positive traits that support Enterprise as an investment and it has a generous dividend yield of 6%. That said, there are two additional facts that investors need to understand here. First, Enbridge is Canadian so U.S. investors have to pay Canadian taxes on dividends and their dividends will fluctuate along with exchange rates. Second, and more importantly, Enbridge is, like TotalEnergies, already starting to diversify its business into clean energy assets. If you like the idea of that, Enbridge will probably be a better option for you than Enterprise. 10. Go all in with an oil ETF This list has offered up various ways to invest in oil and natural gas stocks, ranging from diversified energy companies to pure-play drillers to midstream options that avoid energy price risk. But what if you just want exposure to energy prices? For that, you might want to consider The United States Oil Fund LP (NYSEMKT: USO). This exchange-traded product is "designed to track the daily price movements of light, sweet crude oil." It isn't a direct investment in oil, it merely seeks to track oil price moves. However, if that is what you are looking to do, it could be a good, though inherently high-risk, option for you. Lots of energy options for lots of energy investors The truth is that there is no right or wrong way to invest in the energy sector. It is all about personal preference, and even then there are nuances to consider. For example, Exxon and Chevron could be viewed as interchangeable businesses by some while others might see Chevron's near-term headwind as creating a value opportunity. That's why this list has 10 different investment options on it, even though some of the differences are subtle. If you are looking for an energy stock to buy right now, there's likely to be at least one investment here that will work for your specific situation. Should you buy stock in ExxonMobil right now? Before you buy stock in ExxonMobil, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and ExxonMobil wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $641,800!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,023,813!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,034% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Reuben Gregg Brewer has positions in Enbridge and TotalEnergies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Chevron, and Enbridge. The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners and Occidental Petroleum. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 10 No-Brainer Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Error al recuperar los datos Inicia sesión para acceder a tu cartera de valores Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos
Globe and Mail
16 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
This Top ETF Just Hit an All-Time High -- Should You Still Buy?
Key Points The market has been surging lately, but buying at record high prices can carry additional risk. Fortunately, history has good news about the future. The right strategy can better protect your portfolio no matter what is coming. 10 stocks we like better than Vanguard Information Technology ETF › Stocks have been soaring in recent months, with indexes reaching new all-time highs. The tech industry, in particular, has experienced especially staggering returns. The Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: VGT) has surged by a whopping 46% since April, as of this writing on July 21, compared with the S&P 500 's 27% returns in that time. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » However, this also makes it an incredibly expensive time to buy. This ETF's price has surged from $470 per share in April to around $686 per share currently. While soaring stock prices make some investors optimistic, others are worried that the market can only go down from here. To be clear, nobody can say for certain what the market will do over the coming weeks or months. However, here's what history says about investing in funds like the Vanguard Information Technology ETF right now. History says there's never a bad time to invest First, it's important to note that past performance does not guarantee future returns. Even if a particular stock or fund has performed well historically, that doesn't necessarily mean it will continue to thrive over time. That said, when it comes to general market trends, record prices shouldn't scare investors away from buying. In the best-case scenario, the market continues surging, and buying now will result in immediate gains. However, even if stocks plunge soon, your investment will likely recover and still experience positive long-term returns. For example, say you had invested in the Vanguard Information Technology ETF in January 2022. Stocks were at record highs at the time, but they were about to sink into a nearly year-long bear market. This ETF was hit particularly hard, plummeting by more than 34% in just 10 months. VGT data by YCharts In the near term, your portfolio would have taken a serious hit. However, when investing in the stock market, you don't technically lose any money unless you sell your investments for less than you paid for them. In this case, if you'd simply held your ETF through all the market's rough patches, you'd have earned total returns of more than 50% by today -- in spite of the major slump we've already faced so far this year. VGT data by YCharts The Vanguard Information Technology ETF can be a particularly good fund to hold for the long term, as it contains a mix of blue chip industry leaders as well as smaller corporations with the potential for explosive growth. Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft are the fund's top three holdings, and together they make up close to 45% of the entire ETF. However, this fund also contains an additional 316 holdings from all areas of the tech sector -- providing more diversification than if you were to invest in individual stocks. Because juggernaut companies like Nvidia and Apple are more likely to survive economic downturns, that can help limit risk. But with hundreds of smaller stocks in your portfolio too, that can set you up for significant gains if even one of them becomes a superstar performer. One major risk factor to consider right now The biggest risk to consider when investing at peak prices is that you might see significant short-term volatility. Tech stocks and ETFs tend to be hit harder during periods of volatility, and those downturns can be stomach-churning at times. For example, earlier this year when the stock market dipped substantially, the Vanguard Information Technology ETF sank by nearly 27% in less than two months -- compared with the S&P 500's 19% drop in that time. VGT data by YCharts While nobody knows when the next downturn will hit, be prepared for more significant volatility when you invest in a tech ETF. Again, strong investments are still likely to thrive over the long term. But if you choose to buy now, it's wise to avoid investing any cash you might need in the next several years. Market uncertainty can make right now a daunting time to invest. But if history shows us anything, it's that those who are willing to stick it out through tough times are likely to reap the biggest rewards. Should you invest $1,000 in Vanguard Information Technology ETF right now? Before you buy stock in Vanguard Information Technology ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Vanguard Information Technology ETF wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $641,800!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,023,813!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,034% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Katie Brockman has positions in Vanguard Information Technology ETF. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Prediction: Buying the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) Today Could Set You Up for Life
Key Points With enough patience and discipline, an investor can accumulate large savings. To get wealthier faster, consider this ETF, which has a very strong track record. It's a promising investment, especially if you're bullish on technology stocks. 10 stocks we like better than iShares Trust - iShares U.s. Technology ETF › You might have clicked into this article skeptically, thinking it's unlikely that any particular investment could set you up for life. But it's true -- lots of investments can set you up for life, as long as you follow a few rules. These include: Stick with the plan and keep adding money over time. Plan to do so for many, many years. Keep up with your investments, making sure they remain promising. Here's a look at a particularly promising investment -- the iShares US Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: IYW). It's an exchange-traded fund (ETF) -- a fund that trades like a stock. Why the iShares US Technology ETF? A key reason why this ETF may set you up for life is that it's been a very strong performer over many years. Check it out in the table below, where I'll also include stats for a standard S&P 500 index fund: ETF 5-Year Average. Annual Return 10-Year Average Annual Return 15-Year Average Annual Return iShares US Technology ETF 21.31% 21.43% 19.65% SPDR S&P 500 ETF 15.97% 13.38% 14.62% Source: as of July 17, 2025. Those are pretty tantalizing numbers, especially when you remember that both the S&P 500 and the overall stock market have averaged annual returns of close to 10% over many decades. Clearly, these are not the kinds of returns you can always expect to get. But it is fair to assume that you have a good chance of outperforming the S&P 500's returns with the iShares US Technology ETF. Let's not assume that your money will average around 20% gains annually (though, of course, it might). The table below uses a top growth rate of 12% and shows how your money might grow over time at different rates -- if you sock away $12,000 annually. Investing $12,000 Annually for Growing at 8% Annually Growing at 10% Annually Growing at 12% Annually 5 years $76,032 $80,587 $85,382 10 years $187,746 $210,374 $235,855 15 years $351,892 $419,397 $501,039 20 years $593,076 $756,030 $968,385 25 years $947,452 $1,298,181 $1,792,007 30 years $1,468,150 $2,171,321 $3,243,511 35 years $2,233,226 $3,577,522 $5,801,557 40 years $3,357,372 $5,842,222 $10,309,707 Source: Calculations by author. Many of those numbers could set you up for life -- depending, of course, on your lifestyle and spending habits, along with where you live and what other retirement income streams you have. (Such income streams might include Social Security benefits, annuity income, retirement accounts like IRAs and 401(k)s, and payments from dividend stocks.) Meet the iShares US Technology ETF Here's a closer look at just what you'll get with the iShares US Technology ETF. I'll start with its expense ratio (annual fee) of 0.39%, meaning that you'll be charged $3.90 annually for each $1,000 you have invested in the fund. There are much lower fees to be found, but this is reasonable, especially if the ETF continues to post excellent returns. The iShares US Technology ETF tracks the Russell 1000 Technology RIC 22.5/45 Capped Index, which is focused on technology stocks. The ETF recently held around 146 different stocks, with its top three holdings making up nearly half its total value. Here are the top 10: Stock Weight in ETF Nvidia 17.05% Microsoft 15.95% Apple 13.12% Broadcom 3.86% Meta Platforms 3.83% Oracle 2.88% Alphabet Class A 2.42% Palantir Technologies 2.39% Alphabet Class C 1.99% IBM 1.86% Source: as of July 17, 2025. This ETF will have you quickly and easily invested in more than 140 tech stocks, which can be wonderful if that's what you want to be invested in. But do keep in mind that nearly half of your dollars will be in Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple. That can be wonderful, too, if you're bullish on the future of those businesses. Do remember, though, that when the market pulls back, as it occasionally does, growth stocks, in general, and this ETF, in particular, will tend to fall harder. However, given enough time, they'll likely recover and go on to new highs. Give this powerful ETF some serious consideration for a berth in your long-term portfolio. Should you invest $1,000 in iShares Trust - iShares U.s. Technology ETF right now? Before you buy stock in iShares Trust - iShares U.s. Technology ETF, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and iShares Trust - iShares U.s. Technology ETF wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $641,800!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,023,813!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,034% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Selena Maranjian has positions in Alphabet, Apple, Broadcom, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Apple, International Business Machines, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Prediction: Buying the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) Today Could Set You Up for Life was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
