San Antonio, TX, Jan. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- U.S. Global Investors, Inc. (NASDAQ:GROW) ("the Company"), a registered investment advisory firm[1] known for its thematic investment products, is pleased to share that its smart beta 2.0 ETFs ended positively in 2024, highlighting the effectiveness of the Company's quantitative strategy for selecting high-quality stocks and building robust portfolios.

Below are the ETFs and their positive total returns for 2024:

U.S. Global Jets ETF (NYSE:JETS): +33.21%
U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (NYSE:GOAU): +13.80%
U.S. Global Sea to Sky Cargo ETF (NYSE:SEA): +2.23%, which included a $2.10-per-share dividend

The U.S. Global Technology and Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE:WAR), the Company's first actively managed ETF, was launched on December 30, 2024, so performance data for 2024 is not yet available.

Performance shown as of 12/31/24 at market price. Assumes reinvestment of all dividends and/or distributions before taxes. Market performance does not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. Performance for SEA would have been lower without fee waivers in effect.

The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. For each of the Fund's holdings, standardized returns and performance current to the most recent month-end, please click on the respective fund ticker symbols: JETS, GOAU and SEA.

SEA ETF Closes 2024 on a High Note

The Company is particularly pleased to see that SEA ended the year in positive territory, with dividends reinvested.

Frank Holmes, the Company's CEO and Chief Investment Officer, commented on the industry's resilience: "Cargo shipping companies have been known to pay out consistent dividends, even in a slow economy. [2] The industry faced a number of challenges in 2024, from geopolitical instability to labor disputes[3]. Despite these headwinds, I'm pleased to see how agile the industry has been in rolling with the punches, so to speak. Companies adapted quickly to rerouted trade routes, managed rates proactively and continued investing in sustainability,[4] even under immense pressure. The SEA ETF's positive performance, up 2.23% with dividends reinvested, underscores the strength and adaptability of this critical sector."

GOAU Achieves Double-Digit Returns Amid Gold's Historic Rise

2024 was a milestone year for gold, with prices soaring from approximately $2,000 per ounce to an all-time high of $2,787 on October 30. The yellow metal finished the year up 27.22%, while silver also posted strong gains, rising 21.46%, according to Bloomberg data. Total gold demand in the third quarter exceeded $100 billion for the first time,[5] reinforcing the metal's investment appeal. Reflecting this strength, GOAU achieved a total return of 13.80% in 2024, marking its second consecutive year of positive annual performance.

Driving these results were global central banks, which collectively added 186 metric tons of gold in the third quarter alone, extending nearly 15 years of net purchases.[6] Interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve also provided additional support, bolstering gold's safe-haven status.

JETS ETF Outpaces the Market in 2024 on Record-High Travel Demand

The airlines industry soared in 2024, fueled by a favorable economic backdrop and record-high passenger traffic. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reporting screening over 900 million passengers in U.S. airports during the year, representing a 5% increase over 2023 figures.[7] Declining global oil prices further supported the sector.

The U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) reflected this robust performance, delivering 33.21% in total returns for the year, outpacing the broader market, which itself saw strong gains. Mr. Holmes remarked: "The airlines industry demonstrated remarkable agility in 2024. Strong travel demand, strategic capacity management and lower fuel costs have helped position airlines for sustained success. United Airlines exemplified the industry's achievements in 2024, with its stock soaring approximately 135%, making it the fifth-best performance in the S&P 500."

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About U.S. Global Investors, Inc.

The story of U.S. Global Investors goes back more than 50 years when it began as an investment club. Today, U.S. Global Investors, Inc. (www.usfunds.com) is a registered investment adviser that focuses on niche markets around the world. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the Company provides money management and other services to U.S. Global Investors Funds and U.S. Global ETFs.

Please consider carefully a fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. For this and other important information, obtain a statutory and summary prospectus by visiting www.usglobaletfs.com. Read it carefully before investing.

Fund Disclosures

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. ETF shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV), may trade at a discount or premium to NAV and are not individually redeemed from the fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.

Each ETF concentrates its investments in specific industries and may be subject to greater risks and fluctuations than a portfolio representing a broader range of industries. The Funds are non-diversified, meaning they may concentrate more of their assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.

The ETFs invest in foreign securities, which involve greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods. These risks are greater for investments in emerging markets and pose additional risks and be more volatile due to less information, limited government oversight and lack of uniform standards. The funds may invest in the securities of smaller and mid-capitalization companies, which may be more volatile than funds that invest in larger, more established companies.

JETS, GOAU and SEA are not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to their indices they track. The performance of these ETFs may diverge from that of their indices. Because the funds may employ a representative sampling strategy and may also invest in securities that are not included in the index, the funds may experience tracking errors to a greater extent than a fund that seeks to replicate an index.

For GOAU - Gold, precious metals and precious minerals funds may be susceptible to adverse economic, political or regulatory developments due to concentrating in a single theme. The prices of gold, precious metals and precious minerals are subject to substantial price fluctuations over short periods of time and may be affected by unpredicted international monetary and political policies. We suggest investing no more than 5% to 10% of your portfolio in these sectors.

For JETS - Airline companies may be adversely affected by a downturn in economic conditions that can result in decreased demand for air travel and may also be significantly affected by changes in fuel prices, labor relations and insurance costs.

For SEA - Cargo companies may be adversely affected by a downturn in economic conditions that can result in decreased demand for sea shipping and freight.

WAR is actively-managed, and there is no guarantee the investment objective will be met. The fund is new and has a limited operating history to evaluate. WAR is non-diversified, meaning it may concentrate its assets in fewer individual holdings than a diversified fund.

The S&P 500 Stock Index is a widely recognized capitalization-weighted index of 500 common stock prices in U.S. companies. The NYSE Arca Global Airline Index is a modified equal-dollar weighted index designed to measure the performance of highly capitalized and liquid global airline companies.

All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor. By clicking the link(s) above, you will be directed to a third-party website(s). U.S. Global Investors does not endorse all information supplied by this/these website(s) and is not responsible for its/their content.

Distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC. U.S. Global Investors is the investment advisor to JETS, GOAU, SEA and WAR.

[1] Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

[2] Miller, G. (2023, August 21). Container lines paid out billions in boom-time profits via dividends: Hapag-Lloyd's dividend was 68% of 2022 net income, Cosco's was 50%. FreightWaves. Retrieved from https://www.freightwaves.com/news/container-lines-paid-out-billions-in-boomtime-profits-via-dividends

[3] LaRocco, L. A. (2024, November 13). U.S. port, union talks break down again over automation, with two months to go before potential strike. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2024/11/13/port-automation-fight-breakdown-talks-new-strike.html

[4] Scott, M. (2024, December 3). A sea-change for seafarers as the shipping industry gears up to decarbonise. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/sea-change-seafarers-shipping-industry-gears-up-decarbonise-2024-12-03/

[5] World Gold Council. (2024, October 30). Global gold demand reaches a record high value of over US$100 billion. World Gold Council. Retrieved from https://www.gold.org/news-and-events/press-releases/global-gold-demand-reaches-record-high-value-over-us100-billion

[6] World Gold Council. (2024, October 30). Gold demand trends Q3 2024. World Gold Council. Retrieved from https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-demand-trends/gold-demand-trends-q3-2024/central-banks

[7] TSA. (2024, December 31). BREAKING NEWS: As of Monday, December 30, #TeamTSA has surpassed screening 900 million individuals at TSA airport security checkpoints, representing an approximate increase of about 5% over the 858M individuals screened in all of 2023. (1/2) Twitter. https://x.com/TSA/status/1874097860381405684

Holly Schoenfeldt
U.S. Global Investors, Inc.
210.308.1268
hschoenfeldt@usfunds.com

U.S. Global Investors Highlights Positive 2024 Results for Its Thematic, Smart Beta 2.0 ETFs