A choppy start to the stock market in January may hold a taste of what lies ahead for ETF investors in 2015. In a word, volatility.

Analysts debated the causes: Was it tumbling oil prices? Or the poor outlook in Russia and Greece? Or the expectations of a Fed rate hike? Or the Swiss currency stunner?

Whatever the case, this much was certain: Investors didn’t like it. SPDR S&P 500 (ARCA:SPY ) has lost 1.9% since the start of the year. It’s now trading below its 50-day moving average line, a bearish signal.

Against this backdrop, PowerShares S&P 500 High Dividend (ARCA:SPHD ) outshone virtually every other diversified stock ETF. It’s risen 1.93% so far in January. SPHD holds the highest-yielding stocks in the index with the lowest volatility two themes that are clearly growing in allure given uncertainty in the stock market today.

Against The Tide

In contrast to the broad stock market sell-off, PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility (ARCA:SPLV ) has gained 1.12% month to date. Over the same period, iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (ARCA:USMV ) is up 1.06%. Both equal-weighted ETFs invest in companies with more stable earnings. In each case, top 10 holdings include familiar names such as Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT ), Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG ) and McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD ). For jittery investors, these stocks offer less sensitivity to the market cycle.

SPLV is the larger and more liquid of the two, and has less exposure to cyclical sectors such as financials.

In January, several of SPHD’s dividend-focused peers have also fared relatively well as investors continued to hunt for yield in a low-rate climate. Plus, dividend payers tend to be relatively safe, blue-chip names like AT&T (NYSE:T )and Chevron (NYSE:CVX ), whose allure rises in volatile periods.

Global X SuperDividend U.S. (ARCA:DIV ) and First Trust Value Line Dividend (ARCA:FVD ) are among the yield-focused ETFs that have outpaced SPY so far this month.

On the international front, real estate ETFs found favor with investors. SPDR Dow Jones Global Real Estate (ARCA:RWO ) gained 6.49% and its sibling International Real Estate (ARCA:RWX ) rose 4.93%. RWO is evenly split between U.S. REITs and international real estate firms. That makes it less susceptible to volatility than ETFs focused on domestic or international companies alone. It yields 3.08%.

As the dollar rose vs. the euro, hedged ETFs gained ground. WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity (ARCA:HEDJ ) and iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EMU (ARCA:HEZU ) climbed 4.28% and 3.33% respectively. By hedging out foreign exchange risk, these ETFs allow a way for investors to not get hurt while holding assets in a falling currency such as the euro.