AXS Knowledge Leaders ETF
$62.56−0.07 (−0.11%)
- 0.78%
- $43M
- +27.5%
- 0.88%
- 0M sh
- $63.08
- low $48.97high $65.24
The ETF.net KNO Grade
D
Score 36 out of 100
- 26 of 31
Score 36 of 100 falls in the D band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.F13 out of 100Rank 27 of 31Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.C52 out of 100Rank 7 of 10Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A88 out of 100Rank 1 of 31Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.F9 out of 100Rank 31 of 31Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B64 out of 100Rank 12 of 31Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B55 out of 100Rank 15 of 31
Our read on KNO
DAccounting rules force companies to expense R&D and brand-building. KNO's screen treats that spend as investment, redraws the books, and buys the developed-market innovators that look best on the rewritten numbers.
The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equities of highly innovative knowledge-leader companies. It uses a proprietary quantitative screen emphasizing intangible-adjusted innovation intensity, financial strength, profitability, research and development, earnings growth, and operating cash flow.
Why people hold it
- The whole product is one idea: count R&D, brand and employee training as capital, then screen on innovation intensity, profitability, cash flow and financial strength.axsinvestments.com
- Global by design. Developed-market names across North America, Europe and Asia, measured against an equal-weighted MSCI World index rather than a cap-weighted one.
- Active, but rules-driven. A proprietary quantitative screen picks the portfolio, and the strategy dates to 2007, reaching AXS in 2024 after a rebrand from KLDW.prnewswire.com
Worth knowing
- You pay up for the screen: 0.78% a year against a 0.69% median for global active peers, and well above broad options like GSWO (0.15%) or DFAW (0.24%).
- A small, thinly traded fund. Spreads can run wider than a mainstream global ETF's, which shows up most on larger orders.
- Income is not the job here. The mandate is long-term capital appreciation, and distributions land only once or twice a year.
KNO Holdings
- Stocks
- 84
- 34%
- MU
Sectors
- Industrials31.4%
- Technology28.4%
- Health Care16.4%
- Consumer Discretionary7.9%
- Consumer Staples5.2%
- Materials4.9%
- Communication3.0%
- Financials2.7%
Geography
- United States51.72%
- Switzerland16.42%
- Japan6.72%
- France6.32%
- Germany4.71%
- Netherlands4.68%
- Ireland2.80%
- Sweden2.22%
- 4.40%
Developed 98% · Emerging 2%
KNO Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
KNO$12,748
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | KNO |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +22.1% |
| 1 month | +0.3% |
| 3 months | −0.1% |
| 1 year | +27.5% |
| 3 years | +19.4% |
| 5 years | +7.7% |
| 10 years | +10.0% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | KNO |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +22.1% | |
| 2025 | +19.8% | |
| 2024 | +5.1% | |
| 2023 | +17.5% | |
| 2022 | −23.2% | |
| 2021 | +13.6% | |
| 2020 | +16.8% |
KNO in the news
KNO Dividends
- 0.88%
- $0.55
- $0.55 per share
- Annual
Distribution history
KNO Risk
- 14.9%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 0.95
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −33.6%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.09
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
KNO Cost
0.78%
KNO0.78%
- The middle half of Disruptive Innovation funds
- Median 0.65%
26 of the 31 Disruptive Innovation funds charge less.
Other funds in Disruptive Innovation
- DARKWARK Next Generation Internet ETFExpense ratio 0.76%1 year return −1.3%
- DSPRXSpear Alpha ETFExpense ratio 0.75%1 year return +14.2%
- DDUNKDana Unconstrained Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.75%1 year return +17.7%
- DTMATMain Thematic Innovation ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +8.5%
- DMINVMatthews Asia Innovators Active ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +35.5%