British News Agency

Investors' risk-averse stance was reflected in pricing across U.S. ETF markets. While major ETFs tracking stock indices came under selling pressure, inverse ETFs positioned to benefit from market declines ended the day higher.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), one of the largest exchange-traded funds in the United States, fell 1.23 percent to $738.18. The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) closed 1.00 percent lower at $516.26.

The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF, which focuses on growth stocks, declined 1.93 percent to $118.59, while the iShares Russell 2000 ETF, which tracks small-cap companies, lost 0.58 percent to $292.09.

The technology-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) also fell 1.90 percent to $691.96. The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM), which tracks emerging markets, declined 0.60 percent to trade at $64.60.

As selling pressure intensified across markets, gains in inverse ETFs stood out. The ProShares UltraShort S&P500 (SDS) rose 2.47 percent, while the ProShares UltraShort QQQ (QID) gained 3.87 percent. The ProShares UltraShort 20+ Year Treasury (TBT), which takes positions against long-term U.S. Treasuries, also increased 0.54 percent.

Meanwhile, the iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF (EWZ), which tracks Brazilian equities, fell 1.23 percent to $36.17.

The outlook in ETF markets showed that investors had shifted toward defensive positions in response to weakness in equity markets, while demand for inverse ETFs used for hedging purposes had increased.