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The S&P 500 Index was down 5.3% in the third quarter, its third consecutive quarter of losses for the first time since the 2008-09 financial crisis. The Dow plunged 6.7% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 4.1%.

Consumer Discretionary was the best performing sector with a gain of 3.6%, followed by Energy up just 0.7%. Real Estate and Communication Services were the worst performing sectors, down about 12% each.

Clean energy funds were among the top-performing ETF areas as the war in Ukraine accelerated the transition to renewable energy. These will also benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), which provides $370 billion to combat climate change and would be the biggest climate spending package in US history.

The ALPS Clean Energy ETF (ACES - Free Report) holds US and Canadian clean energy companies. Enphase Energy (ENPH - Free Report), First Solar (FSLR - Free Report), Tesla (TSLA - Free Report), and Rivian Automotive (RIVN - Free Report) are among the top holdings in the fund, which gained about 14% in the quarter.

The Simplify Interest Rate Hedge ETF (PFIX - Free Report) seeks to hedge interest rate movements arising from rising long-term interest rates and to benefit from market stress when fixed income volatility increases. The ETF was up almost 20% in Q3.

Shipping costs have plunged as the global economy slows significantly. The Breakwave Dry Bulk Shipping ETF (BDRY - Free Report) sank 47% in the quarter. The ETF, which holds dry bulk freight futures, had skyrocketed in the first half of 2021, thanks to pandemic-induced supply chain disruptions.

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