What are some top performing ETF funds as of 2015?

Some top performing exchange-traded funds as of July, 2015 are Barclays Return on Disability ETN , Market Vectors ChinaAMC SME-ChiNext ETF, VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX, and ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures. The year-to-date returns of these ETFs are over 50 percent, as reported by Morningstar.

Investors can trade exchange-traded funds like common stocks on a stock exchange. An ETF owns the underlying assets, such as stocks, bonds and commodities, and divides the ownership among investors of the ETF. The prices of ETFs fluctuate as investors buy and sell them, and most ETFs do not charge commissions, as noted by Investopedia.