Exchange-traded funds specializing in Latin American and energy were among the best performers in the third quarter, MarketWatch reports. The top-performing fund was the iShares MSCI Brazil Index fund, up 34.8%, followed by the iShares S&P Latin American 40 Index fund, up 27.5%.
The Vanguard Energy Vipers fund came in as the fifth best-performing fund, posting a 21.2% gain in the third quarter.
Other energy funds that increased at least 15% in the third quarter were the Energy Select Sector SPDR, iShares Goldman Sachs Natural Resources and the iShares Dow Jones U.S. Energy funds.
The Brazilian ETF has increased 86.1% over the past 12 months, primarily due to the weakness of the dollar and an energy-driven Latin American economic boom. For its part, the iShares MSCI Mexico ETF rose 18.6% in the quarter and 58.7% over the past 12 months.
