One fund is turning this year's geopolitical mess into serious performance. The T. Rowe Price Natural Resource ETF, has returned 24% year to date and 35.7% over the past 12 months, riding rising energy and commodity prices tied directly to the ongoing Strait of Hormuz conflict. The fund charges a competitive 44 basis points and actively picks 60 to 80 stocks across mineral, agricultural and energy extraction companies, leaning on value and growth screens rather than tracking a static index. The Hormuz disruption isn't just an oil story either, it's also squeezing global nitrogen fertilizer production, widening the set of commodities TURF's active mandate can actually capture. For investors looking for a tactical satellite position that can move with geopolitical headlines rather than just absorb the hit, this is the kind of setup active management was built for.

Finsum: Active natural resources exposure can be a genuine hedge against instability, but returns this strong also tend to fade fast once the headline risk that drove them resolves.