Silver-linked ETFs were some of the best-performing exchange-traded products in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, taking six out of the 10 top-performing spots, as investors positioned themselves to take advantage of the government's latest round of quantitative easing.

The Global X Silver Miners ETF (NYSEArca: SIL) and the iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners Index Fund (NYSEArca: SLVP) topped the list, each rallying 33 percent in the past three months. The physical silver ETF, ETFS Physical Silver ETF (NYSEArca: SIVR), gained 25.5 percent in the same period.

In the past quarter, silver prices rallied 25 percent in a move that can largely be attributed to the Federal Reserve's announcement of so-called QE3, HardAssetsInvestor.com Analyst Sumit Roy told IndexUniverse.

"The fear is that QE3 may lead to inflation down the line and silver—along with gold—is seen as a hedge against that possibility," Roy said. "There were strong inflows into silver ETFs; silver ETF holdings stand at a record 600 million troy ounces, surpassing the high set last spring."

Quantitative easing also helped calm the market's nerves, putting a lot of volatility-focused strategies among the bottom performers for the quarter.

The Dow Jones industrial average tagged on 557 points between June 29 and September 28, rising 4.3 percent.

The C-Tracks ETNs on the Citi Volatility (NYSEArca: CVOL) slipped 56.5 percent, followed by the iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (NYSEArca: VXX), which lost 40.8 percent in value.

Best Performers

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