If you're interested in broad exposure to the Technology - Semiconductors segment of the equity market, look no further than the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on December 20, 2011.
Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Sector ETFs are also funds of convenience, offering many ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Technology - Semiconductors is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 2, placing it in top 13%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by Van Eck. It has amassed assets over $70.89 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Technology - Semiconductors segment of the equity market. SMH seeks to match the performance of the MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index before fees and expenses.
The MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index tracks the overall performance of companies involved in semiconductor production and equipment.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.35%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 15.21% of total assets, followed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co L (TSM) and Micron Technology Inc (MU).
The top 10 holdings account for about 70.75% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 62.61% so far this year and was up about 103.7% in the last one year (as of 07/14/2026). In that past 52-week period, it has traded between $283.95 and $668.91.
The ETF has a beta of 1.71 and standard deviation of 35.58% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 27 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
VanEck Semiconductor ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, SMH is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) tracks S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index and the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) tracks PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index. State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF has $3.00 billion in assets, iShares Semiconductor ETF has $46.10 billion. XSD has an expense ratio of 0.35%, and SOXX charges 0.34%.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).