But in the ETF space, there are some pearls of stellar performance this year that stand out against the market’s biggest strategies, such as the SPDR S&P 500 Trust (SPY). But in a market where SPY is barely shelling out 1% in returns year-to-date, these pockets of performance stand out. Cinthia Murphy, Managing Editor, ETF.com So far, 2018 has not been easy on U.S. investors, who’ve been faced with everything from geopolitical concerns to talk of trade wars to inflation fears to volatility.