Weekly Channel Summary
The Thematic ETF channel, comprising 389 ETFs from 99 issuers, currently holds a total of $272.4 billion in assets under management. Over the past week, the channel experienced significant net inflows of $2.38 billion. Year-to-date, investors have poured a substantial $34.38 billion into these funds, contributing to a total inflow of $40.16 billion over the past year, indicating strong and sustained interest in thematic investing strategies.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
This week saw a significant divergence in performance across thematic categories. FinTech was the standout leader, posting a weekly gain of 1.10% and boasting an impressive 51.66% return year-to-date. In contrast, the Alternative Equity category was the primary laggard, dropping by 5.69% for the week and remaining in negative territory with a -5.16% return year-to-date.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FinTech | 1.10% | 17.96% | 27.36% | 115.17% | 51.66% | 86.15% |
| Precious Metals | -0.55% | 12.78% | 46.79% | 75.81% | 126.74% | 101.38% |
| Natural Resources | -0.94% | 8.88% | 18.91% | 53.28% | 37.66% | 23.53% |
| Health Innovation | -1.14% | 6.70% | 10.04% | 33.84% | 11.65% | 2.75% |
| Infrastructure | -1.43% | 2.78% | 5.92% | 26.77% | 18.61% | 14.93% |
| Sustainability | -1.71% | 9.48% | 17.09% | 54.70% | 32.52% | 24.34% |
| Disruptive Tech | -2.03% | 2.66% | 9.59% | 42.25% | 21.46% | 28.32% |
| Thematic – Multi-Sector | -2.25% | 2.39% | 8.72% | 40.79% | 21.17% | 27.47% |
| Industrial Revolution | -2.89% | 5.81% | 11.90% | 45.26% | 28.85% | 34.30% |
| Evolving Consumer | -3.90% | -1.71% | 11.39% | 40.64% | 22.13% | 20.09% |
| Midstream & MLPs | -3.97% | -3.03% | -1.77% | 6.90% | 2.20% | 7.77% |
| Alternative Equity | -5.69% | -9.25% | -10.12% | 7.82% | -5.16% | -1.30% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
At the individual fund level, the CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF (WGMI) was the week’s best performer, surging by an impressive 14.89%. On the other end of the spectrum, the housing sector faced significant headwinds, with the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) and the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) being the two worst-performing ETFs, falling 8.59% and 7.53% respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| WGMI | CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF | 14.89% |
| BKCH | Global X Blockchain ETF | 10.33% |
| COPJ | Sprott Junior Copper Miners ETF | 9.05% |
| MNRS | Grayscale Bitcoin Miners ETF | 8.29% |
| STCE | Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | 8.08% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| ITB | iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF | -8.59% |
| XHB | SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF | -7.53% |
| ONLN | ProShares Online Retail ETF | -7.49% |
| FDNI | First Trust Dow Jones International Internet ETF | -7.48% |
| WOOD | iShares Global Timber & Forestry ETF | -7.06% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Thematic ETFs attracted a healthy $2.38 billion in net flows this week. The Disruptive Tech category was the clear favorite, pulling in $947 million in new assets to its substantial $52.3 billion AUM. Natural Resources also saw significant interest with $786 million in inflows. In contrast, the Evolving Consumer category experienced the largest outflows, with investors withdrawing $431 million.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disruptive Tech | 59 | $52.3B | $947M | $6,467M | $9,238M | $15,698M | $17,878M |
| Natural Resources | 54 | $40.5B | $786M | $2,404M | $3,243M | $1,892M | $2,944M |
| Industrial Revolution | 32 | $15.9B | $321M | $1,717M | $2,503M | $4,504M | $4,438M |
| Thematic Precious Metals | 14 | $43.5B | $277M | $633M | $1,603M | ($2,176M) | ($2,636M) |
| Infrastructure | 38 | $38.2B | $267M | $1,466M | $3,876M | $6,391M | $9,689M |
| FinTech | 24 | $6.7B | $98M | $251M | $507M | $410M | $696M |
| Sustainability | 27 | $5.9B | $84M | $206M | $295M | ($278M) | ($777M) |
| Health Innovation | 25 | $2.2B | $37M | $26M | $16M | ($81M) | ($251M) |
| Thematic Multi-Sector | 38 | $26.4B | $9M | ($272M) | $1,370M | $5,727M | $5,084M |
| Alternative Equity | 8 | $2.2B | $9M | $105M | $250M | $660M | $877M |
| Midstream & MLPs | 16 | $20.8B | ($27M) | $3M | $319M | $1,395M | $2,288M |
| Evolving Consumer | 45 | $17.9B | ($431M) | ($391M) | $725M | $233M | ($68M) |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF (BAI) led all individual ETFs, attracting an impressive $387 million in new capital this week. On the outflows side, investors pulled a significant $309 million from the First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund (FDN), and $78 million from the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB), marking them as the top two ETFs for outflows.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| BAI | iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF | $387M |
| QTUM | Defiance Quantum ETF | $198M |
| AIQ | Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF | $142M |
| CIBR | First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF | $140M |
| JTEK | JPMorgan U.S. Tech Leaders ETF | $61M |
| Outflows | ||
| FDN | First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund | ($309M) |
| ITB | iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF | ($78M) |
| XHB | SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF | ($69M) |
| MAGS | Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF | ($66M) |
| ARKW | ARK Next Generation Internet ETF | ($27M) |
Issuer League Table Update
Global X and iShares continue to dominate the thematic landscape, holding 17.51% and 15.73% of the market share, respectively. Global X also led the pack in weekly asset gathering with $772 million in inflows. Among the top issuers, ARK Investment Management saw the largest weekly outflows, with a net withdrawal of $1.28 billion over the past 30 days, despite a modest inflow this week.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global X | 35 | $47.72B | 17.51% |
| iShares | 33 | $42.85B | 15.73% |
| VanEck | 18 | $40.61B | 14.90% |
| First Trust | 29 | $40.24B | 14.77% |
| ARK | 7 | $16.41B | 6.02% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| Global X | $772M |
| VanEck | $482M |
| iShares | $384M |
| Outflows | |
| Roundhill | -$47M |
| ERShares | -$42M |
| Amplify | -$19M |
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.
