Thematic ETFs: Industrial Revolution Shines, Precious Metals Attract Cash

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Weekly Channel Summary

The EQ: Thematic channel closed the week with $270B in total Assets Under Management across 389 ETFs from 98 different issuers. The channel saw net inflows of $1.23B over the past week, bringing Year-to-Date (YTD) inflows to $39.25B and total one-year inflows to $44.06B.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

This week’s performance was led by the Industrial Revolution category, which posted a 3.12% gain (up 32.98% YTD). On the other end, the Precious Metals category was the primary laggard, dropping 7.69% for the week, though it remains the top-performing category year-to-date with a striking 119.39% return.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
Industrial Revolution 3.12% 5.01% 12.60% 42.14% 32.98% 39.26%
FinTech 2.98% 9.66% 26.39% 91.38% 55.16% 66.74%
Disruptive Tech 2.97% 4.20% 12.04% 40.25% 27.51% 35.11%
Alternative Equity 2.49% -2.13% -8.87% 2.55% -2.62% -0.48%
Thematic – Multi-Sector 2.29% 3.51% 10.61% 36.46% 26.04% 31.98%
Health Innovation 1.81% 8.68% 13.08% 24.12% 15.69% 7.04%
Evolving Consumer 1.36% -0.86% 10.95% 29.35% 24.04% 19.76%
Infrastructure 1.29% 4.22% 7.47% 23.90% 22.81% 18.26%
Sustainability 1.19% 8.30% 18.53% 51.39% 39.11% 32.32%
Natural Resources 1.02% 5.91% 15.23% 42.78% 40.88% 27.42%
Midstream & MLPs 0.77% -3.53% -1.86% -0.58% 3.05% 8.76%
Precious Metals -7.69% 2.85% 37.80% 58.73% 119.39% 79.10%

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance

The single best-performing ETF this week was the ILIT (iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF) with a 6.81% return. The week’s laggards were dominated by precious metals, with the GOEX (Global X Gold Explorers ETF) dropping 8.50% and the SLVR (Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF) falling 8.40%.

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
ILIT iShares Lithium Miners and Producers ETF 6.81%
LIT Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF 6.24%
MAKX ProShares S&P Kensho Smart Factories ETF 6.07%
ZSB USCF Sustainable Battery Metals Strategy Fund 6.05%
FCLD Fidelity Cloud Computing ETF 5.36%
Bottom Performers
GOEX Global X Gold Explorers ETF -8.50%
SLVR Sprott Silver Miners & Physical Silver ETF -8.40%
SGDJ Sprott Junior Gold Miners ETF -8.10%
GDXJ VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF -8.07%
SILJ Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF -7.97%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

The Thematic channel attracted $1.23B in net new assets this week. The Precious Metals category led all segments, pulling in $772M in new flows against its $41.6B AUM. Disruptive Tech also saw significant interest with $348M in inflows. The largest outflows came from the Evolving Consumer category, which shed $496M.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Precious Metals 14 $41.6B $772M $1,546M $2,484M -$1,174M -$1,603M
Disruptive Tech 60 $52.2B $348M $3,263M $9,668M $16,890M $19,024M
Infrastructure 39 $38.6B $344M $1,639M $4,110M $7,349M $10,043M
Natural Resources 54 $40.8B $311M $2,643M $4,039M $3,142M $3,724M
Sustainability 27 $5.9B $49M $231M $358M -$195M -$609M
Midstream & MLPs 16 $21.1B $47M $53M $386M $1,452M $2,284M
Alternative Equity 9 $2.3B $38M $97M $230M $708M $891M
Industrial Revolution 34 $15.5B $18M $976M $2,437M $4,693M $4,690M
Thematic – Multi-Sector 40 $26.1B -$22M $946M $1,219M $5,937M $5,413M
Health Innovation 25 $2.2B -$24M $19M -$40M -$84M -$236M
FinTech 24 $6.2B -$151M $65M $306M $386M $675M
Evolving Consumer 45 $17.5B -$496M -$612M $456M $145M -$232M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

The top ETF for inflows this week was the GDX (VanEck Gold Miners ETF), which brought in $648M. Major outflows were seen in the FDN (First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund) with $448M in redemptions and the ARKW (ARK Next Generation Internet ETF) with $128M in outflows.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
GDX VanEck Gold Miners ETF $648M
GNR SPDR S&P Global Natural Resources ETF $410M
BAI iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF $165M
RING iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF $131M
GRID First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart GRID In.. $85M
Outflows
FDN First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund -$448M
ARKW ARK Next Generation Internet ETF -$128M
XHB SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF -$108M
ARKF ARK Fintech Innovation ETF -$85M
BLOK Amplify Blockchain Technology ETF -$69M

Issuer League Table Update

The top two issuers by market share remain Global X (17.25%) and iShares (15.98%). This week, VanEck gathered the most inflows, adding $686M in new assets. Among the top issuers, ARK saw the largest outflows, with $278M in redemptions.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
Global X 35 $46.56B 17.25%
iShares 33 $43.16B 15.98%
First Trust 29 $40.26B 14.91%
VanEck 18 $39.55B 14.65%
ARK 7 $15.54B 5.76%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
VanEck $686M
iShares $456M
SPDR $228M
Outflows
ARK -$278M
First Trust -$243M
Amplify -$88M

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.