Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTJennifer Saibil, The Motley FoolSat, July 25, 2026 at 1:15 PM GMT+2 3 min readIt's hard to beat the market, especially when it's doing well. S&P Global provides an annual "scorecard" of how large-cap mutual funds perform in comparison with the S&P 500, and nearly every year, most mutual funds underperform. In 2025, for example, 79% of funds underperformed when the S&P 500 gained more than 16%.When the market is thriving, it's driven by growth stocks, and many growth-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are, in fact, outperforming the market right now.Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »High-growth tech stocks and ETFs also fall harder in bear markets, but over time, since there are more and longer bull markets than bear markets, many growth ETFs come out on top. Consider the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: VGT). It's up 23% year to date, more than double the S&P 500. Here's why that should continue this year and beyond.Image source: Getty Images.The top names in techThe Vanguard Information Technology ETF is full of the top names in tech, and today, that means artificial intelligence (AI). However, it's been around since 2010, and its components change as trends change. VGT tracks the MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. This index requires that at least 80% of assets go to U.S. technology stocks, including large-, mid-, and small-cap companies across software, hardware, and semiconductors. Since it's a weighted passive index fund, its components are determined by the index and weighted accordingly.The top five components are Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Micron Technology, and Broadcom, which together represent nearly half of the total. That gives investors broad exposure to technology without the risk of investing in a single stock. That could be riskier than having components equally weighted, but the risk is minimized by having 321 components in total.The risk is also reduced by the model, because stocks will be bought and sold as they grow or lose value; shareholders can feel assured knowing that a losing stock will be sold off, either in part or in total, if it doesn't meet the criteria for belonging.Long-term growthThe Vanguard ETF is one of the company's best-performing ETFs since inception, and the absolute best performer over the past 10 years, with a 25.6% annuallized 10-year return.Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info