Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy ETF (NYSEArca: GEX)
2013 YTD: 59.9%
Comment: GEX lives up to its billing as a global ETF because the U.S. only accounts for 51% of the fund’s geographic exposure. The ETF also ranks as one of this year’s best sector plays, global or otherwise, for a simple reason: For a good part of this year, the fund had one of the largest allocations among all ETFs to Elon Musk’s Tesla (NasdaqGM: TSLA). Tesla is currently the fourth-largest holding in GEX at a weight of 7.1%. [10 ETF Investments That Got the Most Bang for Your Buck]