Top 10 best-selling ETFs in August

Precious metal exchange-traded funds (ETFs) returned to the best-sellers’ list in August as the prices of gold and silver recovered. Three such ETFs made the top 10 last month – there had been none in July’s list. The best-sellers’ table also included funds that track prominent stock market indices, as well as a cash fund and a semiconductor ETF.

Read on to discover August’s top 10 best-selling ETFs, or click below to explore the month’s best-selling investment trusts, ISA and SIPP funds.

• Read: Top 10 best-selling ISA and SIPP funds in August
• Read: Top 10 best-selling investment trusts in August

The Vanguard FTSE All-World was the most popular ETF among ‘DIY’ investors on the Fidelity platform last month. The fund offers a portfolio of 3,755 global stocks for a fee of 0.14% a year. American shares account for 61.5% of its assets and emerging markets for 6.8%.

The first of the precious metals funds, the iShares Physical Gold ETC (exchange-traded commodity), was in second place. It seems likely that buyers were responding to the recovery in the gold price, which began in the second half of July after it had briefly dipped below $4,000 an ounce. Gold reached $4,657 an ounce on 25 August amid renewed concerns about inflation and currency debasement before ending the month at $4,448.

The ETC is on Fidelity’s Select 50 list of recommended funds. Fundhouse, the consultancy that compiles the Select 50 on our behalf, says: ‘Because it is complex to invest in gold itself, it is reassuring that BlackRock [which owns the iShares brand] has been running this strategy successfully for some time.’

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In third place was Amundi Smart Overnight Return, a cash-like fund that features regularly in the top 10. The current yield from the portfolio is 4.2%, although this version of the fund reinvests its income. Please note this yield is not guaranteed.

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF took the next spot. The fund offers exposure to 500 of the largest US-listed stocks for an annual charge of 0.07%.

The fifth-placed fund, by contrast, deliberately avoids American stocks. The iShares MSCI World Ex-USA ETF has 29.1% of its assets in the eurozone, its largest geographical exposure, followed by 21.6% in Japan, 13.3% in the rest of Europe, 12.3% in Canada and 12.1% in Britain. The annual cost is 0.15%.

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Next came the other two precious metal funds, the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF in sixth place and the iShares Physical Silver ETC in seventh. The former tracks the MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners index and top holdings include Canada’s Equinox Gold and Alamos Gold as well as Australia’s Evolution Mining. Buyers of the silver ETC are likely to have noticed that metal’s recovery coinciding with gold’s.

The iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF was in eighth place. This fund also features in our Select 50; Fundhouse remarks that ‘BlackRock is a seasoned investor in passive funds and the fund’s costs are low’ at 0.07% a year. 

Ninth-placed Invesco MSCI World Equal Weight offers passive investors a way to avoid large positions in ‘mega-cap’ stocks such as the ‘Magnificent 7’ by disregarding company size and instead giving every constituent of the MSCI World index an equal weighting in the fund. One consequence is that US exposure is reduced to 40.9% of assets compared with 72.1% for the ‘capitalisation weighted’ version of the index.

The final place in the top 10 was taken by the VanEck Semiconductor ETF. Although the more recent stages of the AI boom have witnessed dramatic rises in the share prices of memory makers such as Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix, this ETF invests only in US-listed semiconductor stocks such as Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom (although non-American companies that have a listing in New York, such as TSMC and ASML, are included).

Nevertheless the fund has gained 65% so far this year. Please remember past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Top 10 best-selling ETFs on Fidelity Personal Investing in August 2026

1. Vanguard FTSE All-World
2. iShares Physical Gold ETC
3. Amundi Smart Overnight Return
4. Vanguard S&P 500
5. iShares MSCI World Ex-USA
6. VanEck Junior Gold Miners
7. iShares Physical Silver ETC
8. iShares Core FTSE 100
9. Invesco MSCI World Equal Weight
10. VanEck Semiconductor

Source: Fidelity International. Total net ETF sales from ISA, SIPP and Investment Accounts in August 2026 for Personal Investors only.

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• Read: 7 reasons to stick with shares
• Read: Top 10 best-selling investment trusts in August
• Read: The hidden 60% tax rate – and how to avoid it

Important information - investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. Before investing, please read the relevant key information document which contains important information about each investment trust. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of any Index Tracking Sub-Fund will be achieved. The performance of the sub-fund may not match the performance of the index it tracks due to factors including, but not limited to, the investment strategy used, fees and expenses and taxes. Overseas investments will be affected by movements in currency exchange rates. Select 50 is not a personal recommendation to buy or sell a fund. Eligibility to invest in an ISA and tax treatment depends on personal circumstances and all tax rules may change in the future. This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice.