When it comes to investing, time in the market almost always beats timing the market. That's why buy-and-hold investors often turn to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — they provide instant diversification, global exposure, and the chance to capture compounding returns over the long haul.
Here are three unstoppable ASX ETFs that have delivered impressive returns over the past decade and could continue rewarding patient investors for years to come.
Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)
The Nasdaq 100 has been the home of the world's most innovative companies for decades. Through the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF, Aussie investors can access U.S. giants like Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), and Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) in a single trade.
Over the past 10 years, this ETF has delivered an average annual return of 19.56%. To put that into perspective, a $10,000 investment 10 years ago would now be worth around $60,000.
With artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital services still in their growth phases, the Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF could remain a powerful growth engine for the next decade.
Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF (ASX: QLTY)
The Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF is designed to give investors exposure to the world's highest-quality companies. Its index selects stocks based on factors like profitability, stability, and low financial leverage.
This quality-first approach has worked very well. Over the last 10 years, the index the Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF tracks has delivered average annual returns of 13.59%. A $10,000 investment a decade ago would now be worth approximately $36,000.
Its portfolio includes global leaders such as Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Arista Networks (NYSE: ANET), and Costco (NASDAQ: COST), offering investors a resilient way to compound wealth while avoiding some of the riskier corners of the market. It was named as one to consider by Betashares recently.
VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)
The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF takes its inspiration from Warren Buffett's philosophy of investing in companies with fair valuation and durable competitive advantages. That means businesses that are hard to disrupt and can compound earnings for decades.
The strategy has paid off. The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF has returned an average of 15.2% per year over the past 10 years. A $10,000 investment 10 years ago would now be sitting at about $41,000.
Among its holdings are wide-moat names like Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE), and Nike (NYSE: NKE) — companies with strong brands, competitive advantages, and the ability to keep growing for years.
Foolish takeaway
If you had put $10,000 into each of these unstoppable ASX ETFs 10 years ago, you'd now have close to $140,000 — all from a $30,000 starting point.
While past returns are no guarantee of future returns, the combination of these ASX ETFs offers exposure to some of the highest-quality businesses on the planet. For long-term, buy-and-hold investors, these ETFs could be a strong foundation to grow wealth over the next decade and beyond.
