Weekly Channel Summary
The Thematic ETF channel exhibited significant strength this week, with the total Assets Under Management (AUM) reaching approximately $299 billion across 405 ETFs from 101 distinct brands. Investor sentiment remained overwhelmingly positive as the channel gathered $3.61 billion in net inflows over the past five days. This active participation brings the Year-to-Date (YTD) net flows to $3.25 billion, a notable recovery that builds upon the impressive $54.54 billion in capital gathered over the trailing one-year period.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Performance was top-heavy this week, led by a powerful rally in the Precious Metals category, which returned 7.66%. Industrial Revolution followed closely with a 5.52% gain, while Natural Resources also posted a strong 4.82% return. Conversely, the Midstream & MLPs category was the primary laggard, falling 0.55% for the week. Despite this minor weekly dip, the category remains in positive territory for the year with a 0.51% YTD return.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precious Metals | 7.66% | 15.45% | 26.61% | 89.73% | 7.00% | 172.64% |
| Industrial Revolution | 5.52% | 8.19% | 4.97% | 22.14% | 7.93% | 37.72% |
| Natural Resources | 4.82% | 11.02% | 12.43% | 40.36% | 7.22% | 57.29% |
| FinTech | 4.54% | -2.56% | -18.20% | 8.42% | 9.26% | 23.67% |
| Health Innovation | 3.32% | 3.21% | 11.98% | 27.62% | 3.29% | 25.61% |
| Thematic – Multi-Sector | 2.79% | 2.03% | 1.15% | 13.27% | 3.85% | 22.82% |
| Disruptive Tech | 2.04% | -0.56% | -2.68% | 10.24% | 2.65% | 21.26% |
| Alternative Equity | 1.23% | 0.81% | 6.34% | -2.31% | 2.09% | 0.63% |
| Infrastructure | 1.15% | 2.63% | 2.86% | 11.50% | 2.80% | 24.19% |
| Sustainability | 1.05% | 3.20% | 3.17% | 25.01% | 4.13% | 37.32% |
| Evolving Consumer | 1.01% | 3.81% | -4.40% | 10.49% | 1.79% | 20.45% |
| Midstream & MLPs | -0.55% | -0.17% | 3.05% | 2.61% | 0.51% | 3.47% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
Individual ETF performance was highlighted by the DRNZ (REX Drone ETF), which surged 18.20%. On the downside, YOLO (AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF) and EINC (VanEck Energy Income ETF) were the notable laggards, losing 2.91% and 2.45% respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| DRNZ | REX Drone ETF | 18.20% |
| JEDI | Defiance Drone and Modern Warfare ETF | 15.51% |
| GDFN | Tema International Defense Innovation ETF | 13.20% |
| SHLD | Global X Defense Tech ETF | 12.78% |
| ARKX | ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF | 11.61% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| YOLO | AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF | -2.91% |
| EINC | VanEck Energy Income ETF | -2.45% |
| GGME | Invesco Next Gen Media and Gaming ETF | -2.44% |
| UMI | USCF Midstream Energy Income Fund ETF | -2.21% |
| TPYP | Tortoise North American Pipeline Fund | -2.18% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Net flow activity for the EQ: Thematic channel was robust this week, with total net inflows of $3.59 billion. The Natural Resources category led the way, attracting a significant $1.26 billion in new assets, bringing its total AUM to $47.7 billion. Infrastructure also saw heavy interest with $569 million in inflows. Conversely, the Evolving Consumer category faced the largest headwinds, reporting $161 million in weekly outflows.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Resources | 56 | $47.7B | $1,260M | $3,033M | $5,076M | $1,219M | $6,967M |
| Disruptive Tech | 62 | $55.0B | $589M | $832M | $5,280M | $549M | $20,617M |
| Infrastructure | 43 | $43.0B | $569M | $1,820M | $4,280M | $688M | $10,627M |
| Industrial Revolution | 35 | $17.5B | $568M | $1,009M | $1,469M | $589M | $5,981M |
| Thematic Multi-Sector | 42 | $27.9B | $405M | $851M | $1,841M | -$43M | $7,714M |
| Precious Metals | 15 | $53.2B | $137M | $1,457M | $2,217M | $152M | $41M |
| Sustainability | 27 | $6.8B | $135M | $189M | $765M | $140M | $504M |
| FinTech | 24 | $5.4B | $72M | $56M | $27M | $68M | $456M |
| Health Innovation | 23 | $2.4B | $71M | $41M | $111M | $81M | $22M |
| Alternative Equity | 9 | $2.4B | $10M | $110M | $116M | $11M | $762M |
| Midstream & MLPs | 16 | $21.5B | -$64M | $34M | $345M | -$66M | $1,668M |
| Evolving Consumer | 45 | $15.9B | -$161M | -$347M | -$1,239M | -$161M | -$842M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
Leading the pack for weekly inflows was the COPX (Global X Copper Miners ETF), which pulled in $237 million. On the other side of the ledger, the AMLP (Alerian MLP ETF) saw the largest redemption at $62 million, followed by the XHB (State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF), which lost $55 million.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| COPX | Global X Copper Miners ETF | $237M |
| PAVE | Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF | $208M |
| URA | Global X Uranium ETF | $208M |
| XME | State Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF | $199M |
| PICK | iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | $176M |
| Outflows | ||
| AMLP | Alerian MLP ETF | -$62M |
| XHB | State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF | -$55M |
| FDN | First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund | -$54M |
| ITB | iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF | -$52M |
| IYZ | iShares U.S. Telecommunications ETF | -$29M |
Issuer League Table Update
Global X continues to dominate the thematic landscape, holding an 18.25% market share with $54.54 billion in assets, followed by iShares at 15.95%. Global X was also the most successful issuer in gathering weekly inflows, attracting $1.20 billion across its product suite. Meanwhile, Alerian saw the largest net outflows among the top-tier issuers, losing $67 million over the past five days.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global X | 36 | $54.54B | 18.25% |
| iShares | 33 | $47.67B | 15.95% |
| VanEck | 18 | $47.28B | 15.82% |
| First Trust | 30 | $41.30B | 13.82% |
| ARK | 7 | $14.52B | 4.86% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| Global X | $1,199M |
| ERShares | $357M |
| iShares | $306M |
| Outflows | |
| Alerian | -$67M |
| ProShares | -$16M |
| F/m | -$9M |
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.
