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Venture Into High-Volatility Corners of the Market With These 3 ETFs

Submitted by Nathan Reiff. Date Posted: 8/29/2026.

High-risk, high-reward corners of the market may seem off-limits to more cautious investors, but specific exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can make these areas more approachable by helping to mitigate risk. Clinical-stage biotech names, micro-cap stocks, and junior gold mining companies are among the areas that may entice investors looking to make such a wager.

Now may be a good time to consider investing in a fund focused on one of these areas. Biotech names have been buoyed by healthy M&A activity and some notable clinical successes across the industry this summer, for instance, while momentum in certain niche sectors and a rotation away from mega-cap names have benefited some micro-caps. The funds below may offer exposure to these compelling corners of the market, though each also carries a healthy level of risk.

BBC Finds a Way to Win the High-Stakes Biotech Game

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With a collection of 135 names in the clinical-stage biotech industry, the Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trials ETF (NYSEARCA: BBC) is one of the best ways to build targeted exposure to this exciting corner of the market. Firms in the fund's portfolio are necessarily risky bets: These companies are in the critical development and trial stages of the drug discovery process, hoping for a breakthrough medicine that could transform health care and send stock prices soaring.

These biotech names tend to be pre-profit and on the smaller side. More than half of BBC's basket consists of small-cap names, while large companies represent less than 1% of the total portfolio.

Individually, these companies face immense pressure to succeed before burning through their limited cash supplies. However, as a group, even a few successful companies in BBC's collection could buoy the entire fund.

That appears to have been the case for BBC this year, as the ETF has climbed by about 38% year to date (YTD). While these returns are impressive, and the fund does help reduce the risk associated with any individual stock in the space, its annual fee is relatively high at 0.65%. Fund liquidity may also be an issue, given BBC's very low assets under management (AUM) and trading volume.

Cast a Wide Net Into the Micro-Cap Space With IWC

The iShares Micro-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA: IWC) targets the Russell Microcap Index, which includes a group of small, highly volatile firms with the potential for massive growth.

Of course, a large proportion of micro-cap stocks fail entirely, but the thesis for IWC is similar to that of BBC: If even a small number of the fund's target companies succeed, they could overshadow those that fail. More than half of the portfolio consists of health care or financial companies, although IWC offers broad exposure across sectors.

IWC provides solid variety, with nearly 1,350 different domestic companies represented. By and large, these are not companies that most investors have heard of, making background research highly time-consuming and difficult. The fund effectively asks investors to trust the index's underlying methodology, and it charges a relatively high fee of 0.60%. Like BBC, however, IWC has rewarded those willing to take the chance so far in 2026: IWC is up 24% YTD.

A View of One of the Most Speculative Corners of the Gold Mining Industry

Gold prices have regained some upward momentum this summer after a significant turnaround earlier in 2026, following a multiyear rally. While the changes in the direction of gold's spot price—and the related turbulence among companies in the gold mining industry—may leave some investors uncertain about how to proceed, those with a bullish view of gold and a willingness to take on risk may be right at home with the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA: GDXJ).

GDXJ holds a portfolio of 117 small and early-stage gold mining companies from across developed markets. Although some better-known companies are included in the portfolio, many are much smaller outfits with little prior history in the industry. Like the funds above, GDXJ offers speculative exposure to companies that have the potential to win big or struggle significantly.

One distinguishing factor for this fund, however, is its high allocation to a handful of names. Companies like Equinox Gold Corp. (TSE: EQX) and Alamos Gold Inc. (NYSE: AGI) each account for as much as about 7% of the portfolio, leaving less prominent companies with much smaller allocations. Investors may see this as a way to moderate the riskiness of GDXJ's strategy—or as a limiting factor for those seeking greater exposure to speculative names. Either way, GDXJ's 13% YTD return, coupled with a dividend yield of about 2.1%, may outweigh these concerns.