From 24/7 Wall St. · Ryne Mauck · · 1m 10s
SMH ETF Outperforms First Trust Chip Fund
VanEck SMH ETF beats First Trust FTXL chip fund in yearly returns despite longer-term lag.
In brief
VanEck SMH ETF beats First Trust FTXL chip fund in yearly returns despite longer-term lag. VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) returned 44.09% over the past year versus First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (FTXL)'s 67.35%. Originally reported by 24/7 Wall St..
Short-Term Performance
VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) returned 44.09% over the past year through October 30, 2026.
First Trust Leads Short-Term
First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (FTXL) returned 67.35% over the same period, a lead of 23.26 percentage points.
Year-to-Date Comparison
FTXL is up 63.18% year to date against SMH's 45.08%, a lead of 18.1 percentage points.
Five-Year Returns Favor SMH
SMH returned 293.58% over five years starting October 29, 2021, versus FTXL's 210.27%.
Ten-Year Returns Favor SMH
SMH returned 1595.48% since November 1, 2016, versus FTXL's 1024.25%.
Recent Volatility
Both funds dropped sharply: FTXL lost 16.52%, SMH lost 14.21% in the past month.
Different Index Rules
SMH tracks largest liquid chip stocks; FTXL uses volatility, value, and growth scoring.
Tax Implications
Taxable accounts trigger capital gains; tax-advantaged accounts avoid immediate tax.
What to Watch Next
Index rebalances and chipmaker earnings will test FTXL's lead over SMH.
The essence
VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) returned 44.09% over the past year versus First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF (FTXL)'s 67.35%.
