Investors Bet Big on Semiconductors, Pouring Over $1.7B into SOXX and SMH

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Weekly Channel Summary

The Sector & Industry ETF channel encompasses 269 funds from 57 issuers, managing a total of $1.10 trillion in assets. The channel experienced nearly flat net flows this week, recording a minor outflow of just $18 million. This recent pause follows a period of substantial asset gathering, with year-to-date inflows standing at a robust $54.6 billion. Over the past twelve months, investors have allocated a total of $70.7 billion to the channel.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Energy was the standout performer among sectors this week, gaining 1.60% and extending its impressive year-to-date rally to 47.66%. Communication Services and Information Technology were the only other categories to post positive returns for the week. At the other end of the spectrum, Health Care funds struggled the most, declining by 3.72%. This recent drop for Health Care contrasts with its solid 11.61% gain so far in 2026.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
Energy 1.60% 6.75% 14.42% 15.67% 47.66% 50.90%
Communication Services 0.65% 1.49% 1.06% -2.17% -3.03% -0.78%
Information Technology 0.13% 0.18% 0.74% 35.77% 37.39% 50.13%
Real Estate -1.33% -1.81% -2.18% 3.95% 9.44% 6.58%
Consumer Staples -1.42% -1.74% -1.52% -0.47% 8.30% 5.61%
Financials -1.57% -1.19% 8.47% 17.05% 7.45% 10.44%
Utilities -1.61% -2.87% -3.17% -6.83% 0.50% 2.21%
Consumer Discretionary -1.79% -5.29% -2.72% 0.00% -4.39% -3.89%
Industrial -2.00% -9.16% -4.15% -1.77% 7.88% 12.11%
Materials -2.84% -3.83% -0.11% 3.15% 13.96% 13.82%
Health Care -3.72% -1.32% 10.13% 12.48% 11.61% 27.22%

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance

The Munificent Seven ETF (BBLS) led all sector funds with a weekly return of 3.55%. It was followed by strong performance from funds focused on oil refiners and semiconductors, including the VanEck Oil Refiners ETF (CRAK). Health Care-related funds dominated the bottom of the performance table, with the iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (IHI) falling 5.13%. Several biotech-focused ETFs also experienced significant declines.

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
BBLS Munificent Seven ETF 3.55%
CRAK VanEck Oil Refiners ETF 3.24%
FTXL First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF 2.91%
XSD State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF 2.87%
PBOG Portfolio Building Block Integrated Oil and Gas and Exploration and Production Index ETF 2.86%
Bottom Performers
IHI iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF -5.13%
BBH VanEck Biotech ETF -4.86%
PBE Invesco Biotechnology & Genome ETF -4.84%
XPH State Street SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF -4.82%
MEDX Horizon Kinetics Medical ETF -4.72%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

Despite a nearly flat week for the Sector & Industry channel overall with just $18 million in net outflows, flows at the category level showed significant divergence. Information Technology was the clear leader, attracting over $1.15 billion in new assets from investors. Conversely, Consumer Discretionary funds experienced the heaviest redemptions, shedding $662 million. Industrial and Communication Services funds also saw considerable outflows for the week.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Information Technology 33 $493.23B $1,155M -$43M $7,682M $31,932M $35,031M
Financials 34 $102.72B $390M -$4,108M $2,149M -$2,783M -$4,972M
Energy 33 $74.16B $158M $459M -$2,621M $7,898M $7,497M
Consumer Staples 13 $26.57B $59M $84M $228M -$1,061M -$1,903M
Utilities 11 $36.97B -$24M -$127M $459M -$522M $1,387M
Health Care 32 $111.77B -$157M $899M $6,221M $5,725M $10,689M
Materials 10 $14.31B -$177M $102M $345M $2,883M $2,792M
Real Estate 53 $93.28B -$229M -$259M $2,940M $5,170M $8,756M
Communication Services 7 $30.73B -$234M -$368M -$1,494M -$4,097M -$3,205M
Industrial 30 $83.10B -$298M -$1,321M $1,629M $12,180M $17,363M
Consumer Discretionary 13 $31.55B -$662M -$1,320M -$282M -$2,756M -$2,720M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

A strong appetite for semiconductor exposure drove fund flows this week, with the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) leading all funds with $993 million in net inflows. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) was a close second, pulling in an additional $720 million. On the other side of the ledger, the State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) saw the largest redemptions, with outflows totaling $533 million. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) was not far behind, losing $528 million.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
SOXX iShares Semiconductor ETF $993M
SMH VanEck Semiconductor ETF $720M
XLF State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF $344M
IYW iShares U.S. Technology ETF $177M
XLV State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF $157M
Outflows
XBI State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF -$533M
XLY State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF -$528M
IGV iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF -$444M
XLK State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF -$430M
IYR iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF -$226M

Issuer League Table Update

SPDR and Vanguard continue to dominate the sector landscape, commanding 38.9% and 24.5% of the channel’s assets, respectively. VanEck was the week’s top asset gatherer, bringing in $805 million in net new money, largely driven by its popular semiconductor ETF. In contrast, SPDR, the largest issuer by AUM, experienced the most significant outflows of the week. The firm saw net redemptions of over $1.65 billion across its suite of sector funds.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
SPDR 28 $427.25B 38.90%
Vanguard 12 $268.82B 24.47%
iShares 48 $193.73B 17.64%
VanEck 20 $74.09B 6.75%
Fidelity 12 $40.68B 3.70%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
VanEck $805M
iShares $541M
Vanguard $193M
Outflows
SPDR -$1,653M
First Trust -$46M
WisdomTree -$18M

For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Sector & Industry ETF reports in the right side panel of this page.

Disclosures

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. All investments, including ETFs, involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investors should consider their investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing.

This analysis was developed by the team at ETF Action. We leverage advanced AI tools to assist in the drafting and refinement of our content, based on our expert prompts, direction, and final review.