If You'd Invested $10,000 in This Nuclear Energy ETF 1 Year Ago, You Might Be Surprised How Much You'd Have Today
Summarize this article with:
By Steven Porrello – Jan 9, 2026 at 8:15AM ESTKey PointsThe VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF beat the market in 2025. The ETF could be poised to see more growth in 2026.Policy tailwinds are giving a boost to the nuclear sector.These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›NYSEMKT: NLRVanEck ETF Trust - VanEck Uranium And Nuclear ETFMarket Cap$0.0KToday's Changeangle-down(-0.88%) $1.22Current Price$138.21Price as of January 8, 2026 at 4:00 PM ETThe nuclear energy sector is undergoing a resurgence.An exchange-traded fund (ETF) lets you invest in a basket of assets, like stocks or bonds, through a single purchase. As such, ETFs can offer diversification, though they often don't match the same upside as a single winning stock. And yet sometimes, an ETF can beat the market. That was the case for a nuclear energy ETF in 2025: the VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR 0.88%). ExpandNYSEMKT: NLRVanEck ETF Trust - VanEck Uranium And Nuclear ETFToday's Change(-0.88%) $-1.22Current Price$138.21Key Data PointsDay's Range$136.98 - $139.5052wk Range$64.26 - $168.12Volume9.5K This ETF seeks to mirror the performance of the MVIS Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy index, which tracks companies involved in uranium mining, nuclear reactor construction, and generating electricity from nuclear power, among other nuclear-related services. The index has some heavyweight nuclear companies like Cameco and Constellation, as well as advanced nuclear start-ups like Oklo. If you had invested $10,000 in the VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF one year ago, your investment would have grown to about $15,660 today. That would have beat the same investment in an S&P 500 index fund by a long shot. NLR data by YCharts Nuclear energy stocks in general have undergone a sharp resurgence, helped in part by federal efforts to strengthen the U.S.'s nuclear supply chain. Nuclear reactors are also seen as a potential power source for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, which require the kind of continuous power nuclear reactors can produce. Image source: Getty Images. Investors who want to tap into this sharp nuclear comeback may prefer a nuclear energy ETF, like VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF, especially if they're bullish on the sector but don't want to bet everything on one or two companies.About the AuthorSteven Porrello is a contributing writer at The Motley Fool covering publicly traded companies in the materials, energy, and industrials sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Steven worked in the personal finance space and wrote for other financial publications. He holds a dual B.A. in English and Religion & Philosophy from LaGrange College and is pursuing an MFA from Rutgers University-Newark.TMFsaporrelloStocks MentionedVanEck ETF Trust - VanEck Uranium And Nuclear ETFNYSEMKT: NLR$138.21 (0.01%) $1.22*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.Advertisement