But which ASX ETFs could be worth considering right now?

Here are three amazing funds that I would buy in July:

Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ)

The Betashares Nasdaq 100 ETF is the fund I would consider if I wanted my portfolio to have more exposure to the companies rewriting the rules of modern business.

This fund owns 100 of the largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq.

That means investors get access to businesses sitting behind artificial intelligence, cloud computing, digital advertising, chips, streaming, ecommerce, software, and consumer technology.

Examples of holdings include NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL).

The appeal is not just that these companies are large. It is that many of them have enormous customer bases, powerful balance sheets, and the ability to keep investing through different market cycles.

This ASX ETF may not be low volatility, but it gives investors a simple way to back some of the world's most influential growth companies.

VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

The VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF takes a very different approach.

This fund is not trying to own every famous company in the market. It is looking for US businesses with sustainable competitive advantages that are trading at attractive prices.

That could mean strong brands, hard-to-copy networks, valuable intellectual property, cost advantages, or customer relationships that are difficult to break.

Holdings currently include Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) and NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI).

Great businesses can still be poor investments if investors pay too much. But by combining quality with valuation, this ASX ETF gives investors a more selective way to invest in the US market.

It could suit investors who want global growth exposure, but with a filter that looks beyond size and popularity.

Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS)

The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF is the most familiar option on this list.

It gives investors broad exposure to Australian shares by tracking the S&P/ASX 300 Index.

That means owning a slice of the banks, miners, healthcare companies, retailers, property groups, infrastructure businesses, and industrials that drive the local market.

Examples of holdings include BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA).

The fund's role in a portfolio is straightforward. It gives investors low-cost local diversification, exposure to Australian dividends, and a way to participate in the performance of the broader share market.

This ASX ETF could work well beside international funds, giving a portfolio both home-market exposure and a connection to the Australian economy.

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One way to think about this is through the idea of a moat.

A moat is the defence around a business. It is what makes it hard for competitors to come in, steal customers, crush margins, or copy the model.

That moat can come from a powerful brand, scale, patents, network effects, customer loyalty, cost advantages, or products that are painful to replace once they are embedded.

Its value is that it can give a company more time, more pricing power, and more room to keep earning attractive returns.

Fortunately, ASX investors do not have to identify every moat stock themselves. These two ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) are built around that idea.

VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (ASX: MOAT)

One way to put the moat idea to work is through the VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF.

This fund focuses on US companies that have durable competitive strengths, while also taking valuation into account.

That second part is important. A great business can still be a poor investment if the price is too high.

The portfolio can look quite different from a standard US index fund. Holdings currently include Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT), NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI), and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA).

That mix shows the fund is not trying to follow one theme. Fortinet gives exposure to cybersecurity, NXP sits inside the semiconductor supply chain, and NVIDIA remains one of the most important companies in advanced computing and artificial intelligence.

The common thread is not the industry. It is the idea that each business has characteristics that may help it defend its economics over time.

For investors who want a more selective way to own US shares, this ETF could be a top option.

VanEck Morningstar International Wide Moat ETF (ASX: GOAT)

Another ASX ETF that uses the same philosophy is the VanEck Morningstar International Wide Moat ETF.

This fund gives investors exposure to moat-style companies outside Australia, creating a wider opportunity set than the local market can offer.

Its holdings currently include Murata Manufacturing (FRA: MUR1), Etsy Inc (NYSE: ETSY), and Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO).

These companies are very different from one another. Murata is tied to electronic components, Etsy operates an online marketplace, and Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare leader.

But that is part of the appeal of this type of fund. It is not trying to tell investors that one sector will dominate the next decade. It is trying to find businesses with strong positions that may be able to keep earning good returns across different industries and markets.

That can make the fund useful for investors who like the Warren Buffett idea of owning quality businesses, but want more geographic variety than a US-only approach.

The post Invest like Warren Buffett with these top ASX ETFs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

There are thousands of ASX shares to choose from and plenty of jargon to get through. This is where ASX exchange traded funds (ETFs) can help.

They allow investors to access a basket of companies through a single trade, making it easier to build exposure without needing to pick every stock individually.

Here are three ASX ETFs that could be worth considering for beginners.

Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF (ASX: QLTY)

The first ASX ETF to look at is the Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF.

This fund focuses on global companies with strong financial characteristics. These can include high returns on equity, low debt, stable earnings, and solid cash flow generation.

That gives this ETF a simple starting point. Rather than trying to chase the next market winner, it looks for businesses that already have the numbers to support their quality.

Its holdings include companies such as Visa (NYSE: V), Uber (NYSE: UBER), and Lam Research (NASDAQ: LRCX).

For beginners, the appeal is that the Betashares Global Quality Leaders ETF provides exposure to established global companies while applying a quality filter. This can be a useful way to invest internationally without having to analyse every business from scratch.

Betashares Australian Quality ETF (ASX: AQLT)

Another ASX ETF that could appeal to beginners is the Betashares Australian Quality ETF.

This fund focuses on Australian companies with strong quality characteristics. This can include businesses with high return on equity, low financial leverage, and strong cash flow generation.

That makes it different from a traditional broad-market ETF. Instead of simply buying companies based on size, it applies a quality filter to the Australian share market.

Its holdings include companies such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), Goodman Group (ASX: GMG), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES).

This approach can be useful for beginners. That's because it provides exposure to familiar Australian shares, but with a rules-based process that favours financial strength rather than just market size.

VanEck Morningstar International Wide Moat ETF (ASX: GOAT)

A third ASX ETF that could be a top pick for beginners is the VanEck Morningstar International Wide Moat ETF.

It is built around the idea that some companies have stronger competitive advantages than others. These advantages can come from brands, scale, switching costs, intellectual property, or network effects.

The fund invests in international companies that are judged to have sustainable competitive advantages and, importantly, are attractively priced.

Its holdings include Etsy (NYSE: ETSY), NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI), and Nike (NYSE: NKE).

This can make it an attractive option for beginners. The VanEck Morningstar International Wide Moat ETF does not simply buy the broad market. It uses a quality and valuation lens to select companies that may be better placed to protect and build profits over time.

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Warren Buffett readily admits that he doesn't understand artificial intelligence (AI). He has also said that he won't invest in businesses that he understands. So, does that mean the legendary investor doesn't own any AI stocks? Nope.

Actually, Buffett has invested roughly $90 billion in nine companies that are heavily focused on AI. Here they are -- and which one is the best of the bunch.

AI stocks in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) ranks as the largest holding in Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) portfolio. Berkshire's stake in the iPhone maker is valued at close to $59.3 billion. Although Buffett significantly reduced the conglomerate's position in Apple last year, it still makes up 21% of Berkshire's total portfolio.

AI has been at the forefront of Apple's development strategy for years. However, the company was seemingly left behind in the generative AI race until it launched Apple Intelligence in 2024. So far, though, Apple Intelligence doesn't appear to be igniting the super-cycle of iPhone upgrades that some analysts predicted.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) is another top AI stock in Berkshire's portfolio, albeit a much smaller one. Berkshire owns around $2.1 billion of the e-commerce and cloud service giant's shares. Buffett didn't make the initial decision to buy Amazon; one of Berkshire's other investment managers (either Todd Combs or Ted Weschler) bought the stock.

Most AI models run in the cloud. As the largest cloud services provider in the world, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been a big winner as organizations scrambled to build and deploy AI models in the cloud. Amazon is also using AI extensively internally to increase efficiency and provide more services to customers.

AI stocks in Buffett's "secret portfolio"

Apple and Amazon are the only AI stocks owned directly by Berkshire Hathaway. But I said that Buffett owned nine AI stocks. Where are the other seven? In Buffett's "secret portfolio."

General Reinsurance acquired New England Asset Management (NEAM) in 1995. Three years later, Berkshire Hathaway acquired General Re. NEAM continues to manage investments for insurance companies. Its holdings don't show up in Berkshire Hathaway's regulatory filings, but any stock owned by NEAM is also owned by Buffett.

Apple is the only AI stock in both Berkshire's and NEAM's portfolios. NEAM owns two other so-called "Magnificent Seven" stocks -- Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). Like Amazon, both Alphabet and Microsoft are major cloud service providers and are profiting from the strong AI tailwind.

NEAM also has stakes in a couple of tech pioneers that are investing heavily in AI. IBM (NYSE: IBM) made headlines in the past with the success of its Watson AI technology. Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) isn't exactly a shining star in the AI world. However, the company makes edge AI products (AI deployed on local devices) and is working with Nvidia to develop power management and sensing technologies for data centers.

The stocks of three AI chipmakers are also in NEAM's portfolio. Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) manufactures AI products, including Ethernet switches designed to accelerate AI workloads and custom AI accelerators. NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ: NXPI) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) sell products that support edge AI.

The best of the bunch

If you're an income investor, Texas Instruments is probably the best pick among Buffett's nine AI stocks. Its forward dividend yield stands at 2.73%.

Alphabet is arguably the most attractively valued AI stock in the group, with growth prospects factored in. The Google parent's price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio is 1.36.

I think the best Buffett AI stock all-around, though, is Amazon. The company is poised to profit as more organizations move their apps and data to the cloud. It still has significant growth prospects in e-commerce as well. Amazon is also expanding into new markets, including healthcare, autonomous ride-hailing, and satellite internet services.

This article was originally published on Fool.com. All figures quoted in US dollars unless otherwise stated.

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