Weekly Channel Summary
The EQ: Thematic ETF channel continues to represent a significant segment of the market, currently boasting $284 billion in Assets Under Management (AUM) across 402 ETFs from 100 distinct issuers. Over the past week, the channel attracted $0.58 billion in net new money, a positive shift despite the year-to-date flows currently sitting at a slight deficit of $0.36 billion. This week’s activity aligns with a strong longer-term trend, as the channel has gathered $51.14 billion in net inflows over the past year, reflecting sustained investor appetite for targeted thematic strategies.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Performance across the thematic landscape was mixed this week, with energy-oriented and sustainability themes leading the pack while metals themes faced sharp reversals. The Midstream & MLPs category was the top performer for the week, returning 1.49%, followed closely by Sustainability at 1.28%. Conversely, Precious Metals was the primary laggard, dropping -5.12% on the week, though it remains in a slightly negative position YTD (-0.61%). Most other categories remain in positive territory for the year, led by FinTech which maintains a YTD return of 4.46%.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midstream & MLPs | 1.49% | 1.20% | 1.42% | 2.26% | 1.13% | 5.32% |
| Sustainability | 1.28% | 2.93% | 4.53% | 26.60% | 3.04% | 37.03% |
| Industrial Revolution | 1.27% | 6.05% | 1.37% | 18.43% | 2.25% | 33.23% |
| FinTech | 1.14% | -2.07% | -16.42% | 4.19% | 4.46% | 20.10% |
| Natural Resources | 0.85% | 7.11% | 9.97% | 32.62% | 2.22% | 50.76% |
| Infrastructure | 0.70% | 1.94% | 2.33% | 10.17% | 1.66% | 22.92% |
| Alternative Equity | 0.65% | 3.67% | 1.24% | -2.29% | 0.85% | -1.53% |
| Evolving Consumer | -0.28% | 3.07% | -6.10% | 12.54% | 0.77% | 18.18% |
| Thematic – Multi-Sector | -0.70% | 1.04% | -0.58% | 11.77% | 0.97% | 21.62% |
| Disruptive Tech | -0.80% | 0.00% | -2.87% | 9.72% | 0.59% | 20.56% |
| Health Innovation | -1.82% | 1.23% | 11.18% | 26.36% | -0.04% | 23.80% |
| Precious Metals | -5.12% | 7.65% | 18.30% | 73.44% | -0.61% | 156.45% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The individual ETF performance was highlighted by the Sprott Junior Uranium Miners ETF (URNJ), which surged 7.03% this week. On the other end of the spectrum, the F/M Emerald Life Sciences Innovation ETF (LFSC) and the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ) were the weakest performers, falling -6.77% and -6.04% respectively as life sciences and gold mining exposure pulled back.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| URNJ | Sprott Junior Uranium Miners ETF | 7.03% |
| DRNZ | REX Drone ETF | 6.28% |
| NIKL | Sprott Nickel Miners ETF | 6.13% |
| BOTT | Themes Humanoid Robotics ETF | 5.76% |
| WGMI | CoinShares Bitcoin Mining ETF | 5.55% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| LFSC | F/M Emerald Life Sciences Innovation ETF | -6.77% |
| GDXJ | VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF | -6.04% |
| SLVR | Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF | -5.99% |
| GDX | VanEck Gold Miners ETF | -5.63% |
| SILJ | Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF | -5.55% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The thematic channel saw a total net flow of $575 million this week. Natural Resources dominated investor interest, securing $464 million in weekly inflows, bringing the category’s total AUM to $43.6 billion. Precious Metals also saw significant positive traction with $253 million in new capital. On the flip side, the Thematic – Multi-Sector category experienced the largest rotation out, losing $511 million over the past 5 days.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day Flow | 30 Day Flow | 90 Day Flow | YTD Flow | 1 Year Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Resources | 55 | $43.6B | $464M | $2,406M | $4,601M | ($41M) | $5,751M |
| Precious Metals | 15 | $50.1B | $253M | $1,632M | $2,356M | $15M | ($97M) |
| Infrastructure | 42 | $41.5B | $243M | $1,685M | $3,979M | $118M | $10,060M |
| Industrial Revolution | 35 | $16.0B | $159M | $497M | $1,235M | $20M | $5,430M |
| Midstream & MLPs | 16 | $21.5B | $55M | $119M | $381M | ($2M) | $1,796M |
| Health Innovation | 23 | $2.2B | $8M | $35M | $77M | $11M | ($34M) |
| Alternative Equity | 9 | $2.4B | $3M | $80M | $114M | $2M | $769M |
| Sustainability | 27 | $6.5B | ($1M) | $139M | $714M | $5M | $352M |
| FinTech | 24 | $4.9B | ($3M) | $29M | $52M | ($5M) | $369M |
| Evolving Consumer | 45 | $15.7B | ($16M) | ($301M) | ($1,509M) | $0M | ($844M) |
| Disruptive Tech | 62 | $53.5B | ($80M) | $714M | $5,640M | ($40M) | $20,385M |
| Thematic – Multi-Sector | 41 | $26.6B | ($511M) | $833M | $1,452M | ($448M) | $7,199M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The Global X Copper Miners ETF (COPX) was the clear leader for inflows this week, bringing in $250 million. In contrast, heavy rotations out of broad innovation strategies led to substantial outflows for the ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF (XOVR) and the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), which shed $325 million and $235 million respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| COPX | Global X Copper Miners ETF | $250M |
| URA | Global X Uranium ETF | $239M |
| SIL | Global X Silver Miners ETF | $200M |
| AIRR | First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF | $84M |
| SILJ | Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF | $81M |
| Outflows | ||
| XOVR | ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF | ($325M) |
| ARKK | ARK Innovation ETF | ($235M) |
| XME | State Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF | ($151M) |
| MAGS | Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF | ($78M) |
| GDXJ | VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF | ($75M) |
Issuer League Table Update
Global X and iShares continue to lead the channel by market share, holding 17.88% and 16.24% respectively. Global X was the standout gatherer of assets this week with $902 million in total weekly inflows, followed by iShares at $261 million. Among the top five issuers, ARK faced the largest outflows this week, losing $241 million.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global X | 36 | $50.86B | 17.88% |
| iShares | 33 | $46.19B | 16.24% |
| VanEck | 18 | $44.21B | 15.54% |
| First Trust | 30 | $40.04B | 14.08% |
| ARK | 7 | $13.65B | 4.80% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| Global X | $902M |
| iShares | $261M |
| First Trust | $85M |
| Outflows | |
| ERShares | ($325M) |
| ARK | ($241M) |
| SPDR | ($151M) |
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.
