While the U.S. is out of the World Cup, there's still something to cheer about. The stock markets are on a tear.
"The major indexes cruised to new all-time highs more times than one can count in 2014, and with minimal volatility," said Ben Warwick, contributing editor of quantitative equity strategies for Searching for Alpha in a recent blog.
Some analysts say valuations are not overheated, and the upward movement could bring the Dow Jones to 18,000 and the S&P 500 to at least 2,250.
Different asset classes, of course, have produced different returns so far in 2014.
Here's a look at the five top-performing categories within the equity universe and some of the associated ETFs, several of which have topped the results of their respective indexes.
1. Value Plays
The Russell 1000 Value Index produced the top index performance in the first six months of the year, according to Searching for Alpha: 8.3%.
The index measures the performance of the large-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe, meaning those with lower price-to-book ratios and lower expected growth values.
Major holdings in the index are Exxon, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Chevron, Wells Fargo (WFC), Berkshire Hathaway, Procter & Gamble, JPMorgan (JPM), Pfizer and AT&T.
In May, some of the group's best performers were T-Mobile, St. Joe Co. and Electronic Arts.
ETFs that track the index include the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD).
Some other popular large-cap value products are the Vanguard Value ETF (VTV), Schwab U.S. Large Cap Value ETF (SCHV) and the iShares Russell Top 200 Value (IWX).
Russell 1000 Value ETF is up nearly 9% for the past six months, while Russell Top 200 Value is close behind at 8%. VTV has improved about 7.5%, while SCHV is trailing at 6.5%.
2. Power of the S&P
The S&P 500 is on a tear, topping 1,981 on Monday morning. The index is up 7.4% year to date.
The index recently added Martin Marietta Materials and booted US Steel.
It includes many of the members of the Russell 1000 as its largest components (like Exxon, General Electric, J&J, Chevron, Wells Fargo, Berkshire Hathaway, P&G and JPMorgan).
But Apple and Microsoft are also prominent on its constituent list.
ETFs tracking the S&P 500 are the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) and iShares Core S&P 500 (IVV), and their performance is on par with the index.
Related ETFs that are outperforming it include the PowerShares S&P 500 High Beta Portfolio (SPHB) at about 10%, the Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) at 8%, and the PowerShares S&P Low Volatility Portfolio (SPLV) at 7.5%.
The PowerShares S&P 500 High Quality Portfolio (SPHQ) is not keeping up, though, at roughly 5%.
