Weekly Channel Summary
The Thematic ETF channel, comprising 382 ETFs from 95 issuers, currently holds a total of $247 billion in assets under management. Over the past week, the channel saw net inflows of $4.18 billion, contributing to a year-to-date total inflow of $24.64 billion and a total of $31.02 billion over the past year.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
The FinTech category led performance this week with a strong 10.68% week-to-date return, bolstering its impressive 29.88% year-to-date gain. Precious Metals also had a standout week, rallying 5.93%. On the other end, Health Innovation was the primary laggard, posting a -1.23% return for the week, though it remains positive with a 5.12% gain year-to-date.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FinTech | 10.68% | 11.62% | 25.45% | 56.90% | 29.88% | 66.32% |
| Precious Metals | 5.93% | 21.37% | 30.76% | 70.20% | 106.80% | 92.36% |
| Disruptive Tech | 3.21% | 5.28% | 12.54% | 28.02% | 19.72% | 35.36% |
| Thematic – Multi-Sector | 2.30% | 3.88% | 12.14% | 26.79% | 18.73% | 31.76% |
| Industrial Revolution | 2.01% | 2.93% | 13.26% | 25.94% | 22.09% | 33.88% |
| Infrastructure | 1.67% | 2.02% | 7.98% | 18.94% | 17.08% | 17.42% |
| Sustainability | 0.84% | 5.24% | 13.89% | 26.84% | 21.88% | 15.64% |
| Midstream & MLPs | 0.75% | 0.74% | 0.24% | 1.17% | 5.97% | 16.37% |
| Natural Resources | 0.75% | 4.32% | 15.05% | 26.89% | 26.60% | 25.04% |
| Evolving Consumer | 0.32% | 3.07% | 19.61% | 27.29% | 23.71% | 29.17% |
| Alternative Equity | -0.09% | -0.49% | 2.81% | 5.39% | 2.96% | 10.95% |
| Health Innovation | -1.23% | 5.37% | 5.64% | 7.84% | 5.12% | -3.64% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The theme of the week was clearly digital assets, with the best performing ETF being the CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF (WGMI), which gained an impressive 26.72%. It was followed by several other blockchain and crypto-focused funds. Conversely, the cannabis sector ETFs were the biggest laggards, with the Roundhill Cannabis ETF (WEED) falling -13.03% and the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (MSOS) dropping -11.01%.
| Top Performers | ||
| WGMI | CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF | 26.72% |
| BKCH | Global X Blockchain ETF | 21.80% |
| STCE | Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF | 21.64% |
| MNRS | Grayscale Bitcoin Miners ETF | 21.32% |
| DAPP | VanEck Digital Transformation ETF | 17.23% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| WEED | Roundhill Cannabis ETF | -13.03% |
| MSOS | AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF | -11.01% |
| CNBS | Amplify Seymour Cannabis ETF | -10.53% |
| LITP | Sprott Lithium Miners ETF | -9.21% |
| MJ | Amplify Alternative Harvest ETF | -7.03% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The Thematic channel attracted a net total of $4.18 billion in flows this week. The Thematic – Multi-Sector category was the standout leader, gathering $2.63 billion in new assets. This category now holds $27.2 billion in total AUM. Other categories with significant inflows included Disruptive Tech ($827M) and FinTech ($695M). On the other hand, Precious Metals saw the most significant outflows, shedding $569 million this week and bringing its year-to-date outflows to over $3 billion.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thematic – Multi-Sector | 38 | $27.2B | $2,628M | $3,005M | $3,688M | $7,945M | $7,057M |
| Disruptive Tech | 58 | $44.0B | $827M | $1,576M | $4,375M | $9,409M | $11,316M |
| FinTech | 24 | $5.9B | $695M | $625M | $931M | $815M | $1,043M |
| Natural Resources | 53 | $34.8B | $229M | $313M | $1,358M | ($390M) | $1,011M |
| Infrastructure | 37 | $36.0B | $194M | $1,617M | $3,781M | $5,147M | $9,284M |
| Evolving Consumer | 45 | $18.7B | $102M | $917M | $1,558M | $642M | ($87M) |
| Industrial Revolution | 32 | $12.7B | $65M | $155M | $1,453M | $2,820M | $2,639M |
| Sustainability | 28 | $5.1B | $13M | $55M | $107M | ($494M) | ($909M) |
| Alternative Equity | 8 | $2.4B | $11M | $45M | $235M | $562M | $797M |
| Health Innovation | 25 | $1.9B | ($3M) | ($42M) | ($4M) | ($106M) | ($293M) |
| Midstream & MLPs | 16 | $21.4B | ($15M) | $85M | $340M | $1,378M | $2,590M |
| Precious Metals | 14 | $37.3B | ($569M) | $383M | $150M | ($3,091M) | ($3,426M) |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) led all ETFs with a staggering $2.47 billion in inflows this week, accounting for the vast majority of flows into the Multi-Sector category. Another notable inflow went to the First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID ETF (GRID), which pulled in $215M. On the outflows side, gold miner ETFs saw significant redemptions, with the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX) seeing the largest redemption of $653 million, followed by the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ) with $13 million in outflows.
On a side note, beyond its headline-grabbing inflows, we’re noticing some unusual trading patterns in the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) again, suggesting there may be more at play than the simple rebalancing we wrote about a few weeks ago.
| Inflows | ||
| ARKK | ARK Innovation ETF | $2,470M |
| GRID | First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID In.. | $215M |
| ITB | iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF | $151M |
| THRO | iShares U.S. Thematic Rotation Active ETF | $107M |
| COPX | Global X Copper Miners ETF | $88M |
| Outflows | ||
| GDX | VanEck Gold Miners ETF | -$653M |
| PAVE | Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF | -$38M |
| PICK | iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Produce.. | -$23M |
| AIRR | First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissan.. | -$19M |
| GDXJ | VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF | -$13M |
Issuer League Table Update
Global X and First Trust continue to lead the thematic space, holding 16.37% and 15.55% of the market share, respectively. This week, ARK was the top asset gatherer, bringing in an impressive $3.72 billion in net inflows, largely driven by its flagship innovation fund. Among the top issuers, VanEck saw the largest outflows, with a net of $596 million leaving their thematic products, primarily from their gold miner ETFs.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global X | 34 | $40.49B | 16.37% |
| First Trust | 29 | $38.48B | 15.55% |
| iShares | 33 | $37.26B | 15.06% |
| VanEck | 18 | $34.91B | 14.11% |
| ARK | 7 | $18.93B | 7.65% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Inflows | |
| ARK | $3,720M |
| iShares | $313M |
| Global X | $168M |
| Outflows | |
| VanEck | -$596M |
| Alerian | -$5M |
| CoinShares | -$4M |
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.
