The Equity: Thematic – Infrastructure category offers investors a compelling opportunity to invest in the essential assets that form the foundation of a functioning economy. This category typically includes companies involved in the design, construction, and operation of transportation networks, utilities, energy pipelines, communication towers, and data centers. From traditional projects like roads and bridges to the next generation of digital and green infrastructure, these companies are vital for economic growth and societal progress. For investors, this category can provide a source of long-term growth, potential inflation protection, and exposure to secular trends like decarbonization, digitalization, and onshoring.
The infrastructure theme is far from monolithic, offering a diverse range of investment opportunities. Investors can choose broad-based funds that cover the entire infrastructure landscape or focus on more targeted sub-groups. These include Industrial Reshoring, which capitalizes on the trend of bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.; Green & Electrification, which focuses on the transition to a sustainable economy; Digital & Communication, which powers our increasingly connected world; and Real Assets, which offer a tangible store of value. This diversity allows investors to tailor their infrastructure allocation to specific economic views and long-term themes.
Summary (as of 7/31/2025)
- Number of Funds: 36
- Total Assets Under Management (AUM): $37.7B
- Average Expense Ratio: 0.51%
- 1-Month Net Flows: $1.81B
- 1-Year Net Flows: $10.96B
The Infrastructure category is a significant and growing space, with nearly $38 billion in assets spread across 36 funds. The substantial net inflows over the past month and year, totaling over $1.8 billion and nearly $11 billion respectively, signal strong and sustained investor interest. This positive sentiment suggests that investors are increasingly looking to infrastructure as a key thematic allocation in their portfolios, likely driven by government spending initiatives and the long-term tailwinds supporting the sector.
Performance Snapshot (as of 7/31/2025)
The performance within the Infrastructure category shows a wide dispersion, underscoring the importance of careful fund selection. The category’s average 1-month return was a solid 2.47%. However, the top-performing fund, the Xtrackers US Green Infrastructure Select Equity ETF (UPGR), surged with a 7.55% return. In stark contrast, the bottom-performing fund, the ClearBridge Sustainable Infrastructure ETF (INFR), posted a -2.09% return. This represents a total performance spread of 9.64% between the best and worst performers in a single month, highlighting that the specific theme and strategy of an infrastructure ETF can lead to dramatically different outcomes.
Drill Down: A Glimpse into the Full Report
The summary data only scratches the surface. Our in-depth report reveals critical insights that can help you make more informed decisions. Here are a few key takeaways:
- Structure & Market Share: Discover how concentrated this category is, with the top 10 funds controlling a remarkable portion of the total assets.
- Flows & Investor Sentiment: While the category saw significant inflows last month, some major funds experienced significant outflows. See which strategies investors are moving towards and away from.
- Risk-Adjusted Returns: The full report identifies funds like the First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR), which has delivered a top-decile Sharpe Ratio of 0.95 over the last three years.
- Portfolio Composition: Understand what you truly own. The average fund in this category has a 32.2% allocation to the Industrials sector.
- Fundamentals: Pinpoint funds that align with your investment style. Whether you’re seeking Value, Quality, or Growth, our report scores every fund, highlighting top-rated ETFs in each dimension.
This is just a glimpse of the data available in our full report. By creating a free account, you can access the complete Equity: Thematic – Infrastructure report and unlock all of these insights.
ETF category data is updated daily in the Home Office section of the ETF Action platform. Monthly summary PDFs (available to DIY subscribers and up) and in-depth excel data packs (available to Advisor Pro subscribers and up) are available on over 100 ETF categories.
Disclosure: This category snapshot was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence.
