Weekly Channel Summary
The Thematic ETF landscape remains a powerhouse of investor interest, finishing the week of April 24, 2026, with total Assets Under Management (AUM) of $348B across 412 ETFs and 105 brands. The channel experienced a surge in conviction this week, attracting $4.99B in net new money. This robust weekly activity contributes to an impressive Year-to-Date (YTD) flow of $32.52B, while the one-year trailing flow stands at a massive $84.30B, signaling sustained long-term appetite for thematic strategies despite broader market volatility.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Performance was a mixed bag across themes this week. The Sustainability category led the way with a 3.02% return, followed closely by Disruptive Tech at 2.45%, both of which remain high-flyers YTD. Conversely, Precious Metals was the primary laggard, dropping -6.09% for the week, though it still maintains a staggering 115.95% return over the past year. Health Innovation also struggled, retreating -3.73% as investors rotated into tech-heavy electrification and AI themes.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainability | 3.02% | 9.98% | 8.61% | 15.50% | 18.63% | 75.98% |
| Disruptive Tech | 2.45% | 14.88% | 6.17% | 3.23% | 8.48% | 45.24% |
| Midstream & MLPs | 1.72% | -2.81% | 11.28% | 20.59% | 16.77% | 19.39% |
| Infrastructure | 1.03% | 8.36% | 12.87% | 16.90% | 19.55% | 46.67% |
| Thematic – Multi-Sector | 0.94% | 11.89% | 2.70% | 3.32% | 7.31% | 40.49% |
| Evolving Consumer | 0.02% | 8.99% | -5.77% | -9.33% | -5.13% | 17.61% |
| Industrial Revolution | -0.75% | 10.53% | 3.88% | 13.22% | 15.36% | 62.60% |
| FinTech | -0.84% | 15.56% | -4.78% | -18.94% | 5.33% | 53.60% |
| Natural Resources | -1.63% | 9.66% | 0.71% | 22.90% | 16.82% | 77.56% |
| Alternative Equity | -3.52% | 7.17% | -10.48% | -7.67% | -9.24% | -4.62% |
| Health Innovation | -3.73% | 6.13% | -5.55% | 6.56% | -0.82% | 34.78% |
| Precious Metals | -6.09% | 13.21% | -13.91% | 35.56% | 10.01% | 115.95% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The WEED (Roundhill Cannabis ETF) was the standout performer this week, surging 18.11%. In contrast, defense-related tech saw significant profit-taking, with the XDEF (Xtrackers Europe Defense Technologies ETF) falling -9.58% and the SHLD (Global X Defense Tech ETF) sliding -8.02%.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| WEED | Roundhill Cannabis ETF | 18.11% |
| MSOS | AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF | 16.88% |
| CNBS | Amplify Seymour Cannabis ETF | 14.80% |
| HYDR | Global X Hydrogen ETF | 10.12% |
| CHPX | Global X AI Semiconductor & Quantum ETF | 9.76% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| XDEF | Xtrackers Europe Defense Technologies ETF | -9.58% |
| SHLD | Global X Defense Tech ETF | -8.02% |
| ARMY | Tema International Defense ETF | -7.88% |
| GBUG | Sprott Active Gold & Silver Miners ETF | -7.22% |
| AUMI | Themes Gold Miners ETF | -7.09% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Total net flows for the thematic channel hit $4.99B this week, driven by a massive rotation into Thematic Multi-Sector strategies, which secured $1,461M in inflows to reach $30.5B in total AUM. Disruptive Tech followed closely with $1,235M in weekly inflows. Meanwhile, Thematic Precious Metals saw the largest categorical retreat, losing -$233M as investors shifted capital toward high-growth technology sectors.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thematic Multi-Sector | 45 | $30.5B | $1,461M | $2,364M | $844M | $2,218M | $9,232M |
| Disruptive Tech | 65 | $62.5B | $1,235M | $3,857M | $4,817M | $5,829M | $23,953M |
| Infrastructure | 42 | $58.7B | $1,016M | $3,066M | $7,437M | $8,717M | $18,646M |
| Industrial Revolution | 41 | $22.7B | $575M | $1,304M | $3,112M | $5,281M | $9,955M |
| Natural Resources | 56 | $61.7B | $272M | $682M | $5,606M | $9,762M | $16,461M |
| Evolving Consumer | 44 | $13.9B | $234M | ($298M) | ($1,476M) | ($1,375M) | ($1,874M) |
| FinTech | 25 | $5.1B | $160M | $281M | ($588M) | $1M | $507M |
| Midstream & MLPs | 17 | $25.4B | $135M | $305M | $996M | $1,031M | $2,047M |
| Sustainability | 27 | $8.5B | $86M | $265M | $446M | $648M | $1,407M |
| Health Innovation | 23 | $2.3B | $26M | ($5M) | ($64M) | $76M | $50M |
| Alternative Equity | 9 | $2.4B | $21M | $212M | $233M | $271M | $837M |
| Thematic Precious Metals | 15 | $54.0B | ($233M) | ($443M) | ($1,143M) | $48M | $3,068M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The recently launched DRAM (Roundhill Memory ETF) leads all thematic ETFs with a staggering $1,716.48M in weekly inflows, followed by massive interest in ARKK (ARK Innovation ETF) which added $1,234.34M. On the opposite side, the RING (iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF) and COPX (Global X Copper Miners ETF) faced the heaviest selling, shedding -$140.75M and -$123.63M respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| DRAM | Roundhill Memory ETF | $1,716.48M |
| ARKK | ARK Innovation ETF | $1,234.34M |
| BAI | iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF | $343.32M |
| NASA | Tema Space Innovators ETF | $288.76M |
| XME | SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF | $237.19M |
| Outflows | ||
| RING | iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF | ($140.75M) |
| COPX | Global X Copper Miners ETF | ($123.63M) |
| MOO | VanEck Agribusiness ETF | ($79.35M) |
| GUNR | FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Nat Res ETF | ($59.60M) |
| SKYY | First Trust Cloud Computing ETF | ($41.51M) |
Issuer League Table Update
Global X continues to dominate the thematic space with a 19.02% market share, followed by iShares at 16.59%. In terms of attracting new capital, ARK was the weekly champion with $1,418.30M in total inflows, followed by Global X at $1,056.40M and Roundhill at $701.07M. Conversely, FlexShares saw the largest outflow among top issuers, losing -$59.60M this week.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global X | 37 | $66.13B | 19.02% |
| iShares | 33 | $57.67B | 16.59% |
| VanEck | 18 | $50.89B | 14.64% |
| First Trust | 30 | $46.19B | 13.29% |
| ARK | 7 | $14.90B | 4.29% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| ARK | $1,418.30M |
| Global X | $1,056.40M |
| Roundhill | $701.07M |
| Outflows | |
| FlexShares | ($59.60M) |
| Strategas | ($41.17M) |
| Amplify | ($22.65M) |
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.
