Best-Performing ETFs of Last Week: Crypto & Blockchain Rule

Market Overview - Wall Street showed positive performance despite negative economic indicators, with hopes of a Federal Reserve rate cut contributing to market optimism [1] - The S&P 500 increased by 1.6%, the Dow Jones rose by 0.9%, and the Nasdaq Composite surged by 2% [2] Consumer Sentiment - The University of Michigan's preliminary Survey of Consumers indicated a decline in overall sentiment to 55.4 in September, a 4.8% decrease from the previous month and a 21% drop year-over-year, marking the lowest level since May [3] - The Index of Consumer Expectations fell by 7.3% sequentially and 30.4% annually to 51.8 in September, while Current Economic Conditions saw a slight decline of 0.8% month-on-month and 3.3% year-over-year to 61.2 [4] Inflation Data - The U.S. annual inflation rate rose to 2.9% in August 2025, the highest since January, with a monthly CPI increase of 0.4%, driven by higher gasoline and food prices [5] - Core inflation remained steady at 3.1%, with a monthly increase of 0.3%, consistent with market expectations [6] Employment Data - The U.S. economy added 22,000 jobs in August 2025, significantly lower than the upwardly revised 79,000 in July and below market forecasts of 75,000 [7] - Job growth was primarily observed in health care and social assistance, while wholesale trade and manufacturing experienced notable job losses [8] Federal Reserve Rate Expectations - There is a 93.4% probability of a 25-basis point rate cut in the upcoming September meeting, with a 6.6% chance of a 50-basis point cut, reflecting a shift in market expectations following recent inflation data [9] IPO Market Activity - Six companies went public in a five-day period, each raising over $100 million, a significant milestone not seen since November 2021 [10] - Notable IPOs included Gemini Space Station, Black Rock Coffee Bar, Via Transportation, Legence, Figure Technology Solutions, and Klarna [11] Top-Performing ETFs - Crypto and blockchain-based ETFs saw significant gains, with Solana price increasing by approximately 13.3%, Bitcoin rising by 4.5%, and Ethereum gaining 3.7% [12] - CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF increased by 26.7%, Global X Blockchain ETF rose by 21.9%, Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF gained 21.8%, Grayscale Bitcoin Miners ETF was up by 21.4%, and Solana ETF increased by 17.6% [13][14][15][16][17]