Thematic ETF Weekly: Midstream MLPs Shine While Precious Metals Plunge

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Weekly Channel Summary

The EQ: Thematic channel currently spans a robust ecosystem of 408 ETFs managed by 105 distinct issuers, representing a combined $327B in Assets Under Management (AUM). Over the past week, the space experienced a healthy wave of net positive activity, taking in $668M in 5-day flows. This recent influx adds to a strong long-term trend, pushing Year-to-Date (YTD) flows to $20.02B and trailing 1-year flows to an impressive $68.65B.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Midstream & MLPs took the top spot this week as the only category to post a positive Week-to-Date (WTD) return at 1.14%, bolstering its already impressive YTD gain of 17.78%. Conversely, Precious Metals was the primary lagging category, suffering a steep -12.87% WTD decline, though it still maintains a strong 19.36% YTD advance.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
Midstream & MLPs 1.14% 7.86% 15.86% 19.46% 17.78% 23.12%
Alternative Equity -0.53% -8.17% -14.42% -16.96% -14.19% -12.62%
Disruptive Tech -0.82% -0.72% -6.62% -0.68% -4.40% 20.40%
FinTech -1.99% -3.25% -15.96% -9.29% -8.61% 25.29%
Evolving Consumer -2.04% -3.43% -7.53% -12.89% -8.97% 7.53%
Thematic – Multi-Sector -2.86% -2.04% -3.94% 2.42% -2.25% 24.64%
Industrial Revolution -3.78% -1.42% 7.48% 15.34% 6.54% 41.05%
Health Innovation -4.39% -2.47% -3.13% 14.79% -2.31% 23.53%
Infrastructure -4.39% 0.14% 9.50% 16.30% 10.43% 35.82%
Sustainability -4.46% -3.49% 4.60% 17.80% 6.28% 48.99%
Natural Resources -7.72% -0.93% 14.70% 29.98% 11.43% 63.90%
Precious Metals -12.87% 5.33% 30.11% 66.29% 19.36% 173.30%

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance

Leading the charge was the WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund (WCLD), which soared 9.05% for the week. On the other end of the spectrum, silver miners faced heavy selling pressure, with the Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF (SLVR) and the iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF (SLVP) plunging -16.42% and -15.73%, respectively.

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
WCLD WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund 9.05%
WCBR WisdomTree Cybersecurity Fund 7.27%
BUG Global X Cybersecurity ETF 6.76%
HACK Amplify Cybersecurity ETF 6.49%
CLOU Global X Cloud Computing ETF 5.75%
Bottom Performers
SLVR Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF -16.42%
SLVP iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF -15.73%
SILJ Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF -15.24%
COPX Global X Copper Miners ETF -15.02%
AGMI Themes Silver Miners ETF -14.82%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

Overall, the thematic channel attracted $668M in net new money this week. Natural Resources was the premier destination for capital, drawing in $529M to lift its total AUM to $58.5B. Infrastructure also saw significant investor interest, capturing $387M in weekly inflows. Meanwhile, the Evolving Consumer category faced the heaviest redemptions, bleeding -$843M in outflows over the past five days.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Natural Resources 56 $58.5B $529M $1,588M $10,809M $8,736M $14,506M
Infrastructure 42 $51.7B $387M $3,008M $6,233M $4,969M $13,950M
Thematic – Multi-Sector 45 $26.6B $294M -$731M $1,093M -$68M $7,088M
Industrial Revolution 38 $20.3B $265M $609M $3,656M $3,197M $8,205M
Disruptive Tech 63 $52.9B $197M $173M $2,102M $1,566M $19,849M
Midstream & MLPs 17 $25.1B $33M $311M $616M $499M $1,459M
Alternative Equity 9 $2.1B $13M -$33M $79M $2M $569M
FinTech 25 $4.4B -$6M -$93M -$224M -$234M $150M
Precious Metals 15 $62.4B -$29M -$531M $3,810M $2,349M $4,121M
Sustainability 27 $7.4B -$71M $54M $496M $425M $1,009M
Health Innovation 23 $2.3B -$101M -$60M $56M $73M -$95M
Evolving Consumer 46 $13.1B -$843M -$1,331M -$1,720M -$1,491M -$2,156M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

At the fund level, the Global X Copper Miners ETF (COPX) was the standout winner, reeling in an impressive $337M in 5-day inflows. Conversely, the First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (FDN) and the State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) experienced the heaviest redemptions, shedding -$645M and -$146M, respectively.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
COPX Global X Copper Miners ETF $337M
SHLD Global X Defense Tech ETF $240M
MAGS Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF $116M
XOVR ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF $110M
AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF $82M
Outflows
FDN First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund -$645M
XHB State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF -$146M
ARKG ARK Genomic Revolution ETF -$106M
MLPX Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF -$74M
TAN Invesco Solar ETF -$66M

Issuer League Table Update

Global X continues to dominate the thematic landscape as the leading issuer with a 19.50% AUM market share, followed closely by VanEck at 16.71%. Global X was also the most successful in gathering assets this week, netting $612M in inflows. Conversely, First Trust saw the largest withdrawals, experiencing -$455M in weekly outflows.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
Global X 36 $63.72B 19.50%
VanEck 18 $54.60B 16.71%
iShares 33 $52.05B 15.93%
First Trust 30 $42.34B 12.95%
ARK 7 $13.09B 4.00%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
Global X $612M
iShares $248M
ERShares $110M
Outflows
First Trust -$455M
SPDR -$195M
Invesco -$122M

For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Thematic 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.