Weekly Channel Summary
Thematic ETFs collectively hold over $400 billion in assets under management across 473 funds from 113 different issuers. The channel attracted nearly $1.5 billion in net inflows over the past week, contributing to a robust year-to-date total of approximately $70.8 billion. Over the last twelve months, investors have allocated a substantial $98.7 billion to thematic strategies.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Disruptive Tech was the standout performer this week, surging 5.36% and reinforcing its strong year-to-date gain of over 36%. Midstream & MLPs also posted a solid weekly return of 3.30%, continuing its steady performance. On the other end of the spectrum, Natural Resources was the only category to finish in the red, albeit with a marginal decline of just 0.02% for the week.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disruptive Tech | 5.36% | 1.60% | 9.52% | 38.61% | 36.27% | 45.70% |
| Midstream & MLPs | 3.30% | 2.76% | 3.05% | 10.24% | 24.39% | 24.69% |
| Industrial Revolution | 1.79% | 10.28% | -0.27% | 3.86% | 13.22% | 22.11% |
| Multi-Sector | 1.34% | 2.44% | 3.62% | 18.06% | 16.31% | 23.38% |
| FinTech | 0.88% | -0.36% | -8.27% | 12.72% | 4.31% | 3.99% |
| Infrastructure | 0.72% | 1.31% | -1.26% | 5.25% | 21.63% | 28.35% |
| Health Innovation | 0.69% | 5.28% | 34.48% | 38.34% | 37.35% | 66.12% |
| Precious Metals | 0.54% | 19.94% | -5.53% | -12.86% | 5.46% | 63.02% |
| Alternative Equity | 0.30% | 7.65% | 7.70% | 5.10% | -1.14% | -7.07% |
| Evolving Consumer | 0.26% | 3.79% | 7.69% | 9.25% | 4.96% | 1.37% |
| Sustainability | 0.21% | -2.49% | -12.65% | 0.70% | 13.03% | 34.20% |
| Natural Resources | -0.02% | 6.63% | -5.11% | -3.87% | 12.50% | 38.66% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
A cluster of memory and cloud-focused funds dominated the top performers list, led by the Roundhill Neocloud ETF (NCLD) which soared 18.68%. Other funds focused on memory chips, such as Tema Memory ETF (DISK) and Kurv Memory Select ETF (KMEM), also delivered double-digit gains. Conversely, the Corgi Lifestyle Brands ETF (STYL) was the week’s biggest laggard, declining by 4.59%.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| NCLD | Roundhill Neocloud ETF | 18.68% |
| DISK | Tema Memory ETF | 16.82% |
| KMEM | Kurv Memory Select ETF | 14.64% |
| DRAM | Roundhill Memory ETF | 13.28% |
| DRMY | XFUNDS Memory Income ETF | 12.71% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| STYL | Corgi Lifestyle Brands ETF | -4.59% |
| EMIF | iShares Emerging Markets Infrastructure ETF | -3.68% |
| COPP | Sprott Copper Miners ETF | -3.41% |
| ICOP | iShares Copper and Metals Mining ETF | -3.20% |
| ONLN | ProShares Online Retail ETF | -3.19% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Thematic ETFs gathered a net $1.49 billion in new assets this week, with investor interest concentrated in two key areas. The Disruptive Tech category led all groups, pulling in $881 million and continuing its impressive year-to-date haul of over $38 billion. Precious Metals also saw a significant surge in demand, attracting $599 million in a notable reversal of its recent outflow trend. Meanwhile, Infrastructure funds experienced the largest redemptions, with net outflows totaling $191 million.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disruptive Tech | 87 | $113.64B | $881M | $5,330M | $22,985M | $38,067M | $49,919M |
| Precious Metals | 16 | $50.23B | $599M | $299M | -$218M | -$1,049M | $2,294M |
| Multi-Sector | 50 | $31.41B | $132M | -$101M | -$2,434M | $177M | -$2,956M |
| Sustainability | 28 | $7.95B | $98M | -$389M | -$415M | $801M | $1,689M |
| Midstream & MLPs | 18 | $27.14B | $57M | $551M | $731M | $1,855M | $2,323M |
| FinTech | 27 | $4.28B | $45M | -$5M | -$745M | -$692M | -$628M |
| Alternative Equity | 9 | $2.63B | $7M | $9M | $47M | $346M | $592M |
| Industrial Revolution | 56 | $21.41B | $2M | -$336M | $940M | $7,060M | $9,328M |
| Health Innovation | 26 | $3.22B | -$10M | -$2M | $138M | $209M | $224M |
| Evolving Consumer | 50 | $13.73B | -$35M | -$600M | -$667M | -$2,370M | -$2,987M |
| Natural Resources | 57 | $57.34B | -$98M | -$443M | -$760M | $9,798M | $16,296M |
| Infrastructure | 47 | $66.77B | -$191M | $229M | $4,995M | $16,596M | $22,631M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
Funds focused on precious metals miners were the primary beneficiaries of investor flows this week. The VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) was the clear leader, attracting $445 million in new capital, followed by its junior counterpart, the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ), with $153 million. On the other side, the First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID Infrastructure Index (GRID) saw the largest redemptions at $232 million. The State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) also experienced significant outflows, shedding $131 million.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| GDX | VanEck Gold Miners ETF | $445M |
| GDXJ | VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF | $153M |
| BAI | iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF | $153M |
| MAGS | Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF | $143M |
| CIBR | First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF | $126M |
| Outflows | ||
| GRID | First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID Infrastructure Index | -$232M |
| XHB | State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF | -$131M |
| GUNR | FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources Index Fund | -$74M |
| IGF | iShares Global Infrastructure ETF | -$59M |
| ARKK | ARK Innovation ETF | -$53M |
Note: the following fund(s) were excluded from the flow totals above because the weekly flow exceeds 75% of the fund’s AUM and may be the result of a custom rebalance: LYTE ($231M), NCLD ($57M).
Issuer League Table Update
Global X and iShares continue to command the largest market share in the thematic space, with 17.38% and 15.09% of assets, respectively. However, VanEck led the pack for weekly asset gathering, bringing in $568 million, largely driven by its popular gold miner ETFs. In contrast, ARK experienced the most significant outflows among issuers, with investors pulling a net $123 million from its suite of funds.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global X | 38 | $69.52B | 17.38% |
| iShares | 33 | $60.38B | 15.09% |
| First Trust | 32 | $57.51B | 14.38% |
| VanEck | 20 | $47.00B | 11.75% |
| Roundhill | 13 | $33.77B | 8.44% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| VanEck | $568M |
| Global X | $229M |
| iShares | $202M |
| Outflows | |
| ARK | -$123M |
| SPDR | -$118M |
| FlexShares | -$74M |
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.
