Global X and iShares Lead the Charge as Thematic Inflows Top $4 Billion This Week

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Weekly Channel Summary

The Thematic ETF channel remains a massive pillar of the market, currently encompassing 405 ETFs across 101 Brands with total Assets Under Management (AUM) of $314 billion. Activity was robust this past week, as the channel attracted $4.16 billion in net inflows. This builds upon a strong year-to-date (YTD) start with $7.41 billion in flows and highlights the significant momentum over the past year, which has seen total inflows reach $58.08 billion.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Performance was largely positive across the thematic landscape this week, led by a powerful surge in Precious Metals, which returned 6.63% for the week and holds a 14.13% YTD gain. FinTech also showed significant strength with a 4.65% weekly return. Conversely, the Evolving Consumer category was the primary laggard, dipping -0.70% this week, though it remains marginally positive YTD at 1.09%.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
Precious Metals 6.63% 18.08% 21.61% 99.72% 14.13% 191.60%
FinTech 4.65% 12.08% -11.30% 10.65% 14.23% 24.96%
Natural Resources 3.82% 15.90% 15.68% 43.54% 11.36% 60.11%
Midstream & MLPs 3.44% 5.50% 8.12% 6.19% 3.96% 2.24%
Industrial Revolution 3.06% 13.20% 10.21% 25.07% 11.28% 41.06%
Sustainability 2.81% 7.12% 4.00% 29.82% 7.09% 42.23%
Infrastructure 2.64% 5.90% 4.75% 14.48% 5.54% 25.07%
Alternative Equity 1.20% 3.21% 7.85% -3.81% 3.31% -0.64%
Thematic – Multi-Sector 0.25% 4.72% 2.75% 13.60% 4.14% 21.86%
Health Innovation 0.13% 3.47% 11.92% 29.38% 3.43% 29.35%
Disruptive Tech -0.37% 3.08% -0.60% 10.56% 2.27% 20.50%
Evolving Consumer -0.70% -2.00% -2.62% 11.22% 1.09% 19.66%

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance

The single best-performing ETF this week was the Themes Humanoid Robotics ETF (BOTT), which soared 19.43%. On the lagging side, the WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund (WCLD) fell -7.43%, followed by the ProShares Big Data Refiners ETF (DAT) which declined -5.95%.

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
BOTT Themes Humanoid Robotics ETF 19.43%
WGMI CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF 13.46%
SLVR Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF 10.79%
STCE Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF 10.49%
SLVP iShares MSCI Global Silver Miners ETF 10.21%
Bottom Performers
WCLD WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund -7.43%
DAT ProShares Big Data Refiners ETF -5.95%
CLOU Global X Cloud Computing ETF -5.58%
INVN Alger Russell Innovation ETF -5.38%
CLOD Themes Cloud Computing ETF -5.01%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

Total net flows for the Thematic channel hit $4.15 billion this week. The Natural Resources category received the most significant inflows, gathering $1.56 billion and bringing its total AUM to $52.2 billion. Another standout was Industrial Revolution, which saw $768 million in new capital. Interestingly, all major thematic categories recorded positive net flows this week, reflecting broad-based investor confidence.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day Flow 30 Day Flow 90 Day Flow YTD Flow 1 Year Flow
Natural Resources 56 $52.2B $1,563M $4,131M $5,887M $2,782M $8,500M
Industrial Revolution 35 $19.2B $768M $1,712M $2,103M $1,357M $6,725M
Evolving Consumer 45 $16.5B $430M $45M ($1,373M) $269M ($360M)
Infrastructure 43 $44.8B $347M $1,839M $4,110M $1,035M $10,378M
Disruptive Tech 63 $55.4B $342M $1,029M $4,879M $893M $20,941M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

The SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) led the channel in inflows this week, adding $471 million. On the opposite end, the FlexShares STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure Index Fund (NFRA) saw the largest outflows at -$81 million, followed by the Invesco Next Gen Media and Gaming ETF (GGME) which lost -$37 million.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
XME SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF $471M
SHLD Global X Defense Tech ETF $448M
COPX Global X Copper Miners ETF $309M
ITB iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF $272M
GUNR FlexShares Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF $190M
Outflows
NFRA FlexShares STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure Index Fund -$81M
GGME Invesco Next Gen Media and Gaming ETF -$37M
SKYY First Trust Cloud Computing ETF -$32M
ARKW ARK Next Generation Internet ETF -$23M
WCLD WisdomTree Cloud Computing Fund -$16M

Issuer League Table Update

The issuer landscape is dominated by Global X and VanEck, which command 18.61% and 16.02% of the thematic market share, respectively. Global X was also the dominant force in asset gathering this week, securing $1.06 billion in weekly inflows. On the other hand, WisdomTree saw the largest net outflows among top issuers, losing -$22 million over the 5-day period.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
Global X 36 $58.38B 18.61%
VanEck 18 $50.24B 16.02%
iShares 33 $49.46B 15.77%
First Trust 30 $42.03B 13.40%
SPDR 15 $15.55B 4.96%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
Global X $1,062M
iShares $732M
SPDR $627M
Outflows
WisdomTree -$22M
Spear -$3M
AdvisorShares -$1M

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.