CHPS vs SMH

CHPSAXtrackers Semiconductor Select Equity ETF

SMHAVanEck Semiconductor ETF

In short

CHPS Semiconductors without the semiconductor markup. CHPS tracks a global chip index with an ESG screen baked in, holds roughly 50 names, and charges 0.15%, undercutting the category's household names.

SMH Chip exposure, undiluted. SMH tracks roughly 25 of the largest, most liquid US-listed semiconductor names (foreign chipmakers included) and trades like a household ticker in its category.

Stated mandate

CHPS The fund seeks investment results corresponding generally to the performance of the Solactive Semiconductor ESG Screened Index before fees and expenses.

SMH The Fund aims to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index.

Why people hold it

• CHPS At 0.15%, one of the cheapest doors into chips. SMH and SOXX each charge more than double.
• Global mandate, so foreign foundries and equipment makers are in scope, not just the US-listed marquee names.
• The ESG screen sits inside the index itself: the chip universe gets filtered before the portfolio is built.
• Simple plumbing. Roughly 50 holdings, one published index, cash paid out quarterly.

• SMH The index rule is simple: the 25 largest, most liquid US-listed chip stocks, each earning over half its revenue from semiconductors or semi equipment. No tech-adjacent filler.marketvector.com
• Depositary receipts count, so US-listed foreign chipmakers are in scope. That reaches parts of the supply chain a domestic-only screen leaves out.sec.gov
• Single-name weights are capped at 20%, so the giants of the industry carry real weight rather than being trimmed toward sector-average size.marketvector.com
• One of the most actively traded funds in its peer group, a multi-billion-dollar book, and VanEck has run it since 2011.

Worth knowing

• CHPS Trades thinly next to SMH and SOXX. Spreads can be wider, and size takes more care to get filled.
• Launched in 2023, so the record is short against chip funds that have lived through several boom-bust cycles.
• The screen excludes some chip companies outright, so the lineup can look different from unscreened rivals.

• SMH Fees sit mid-pack: 0.35% matches the semiconductor cohort median but runs above SOXQ at 0.19% and CHPS at 0.15%.
• Roughly 25 names with a 20% cap is concentration by design: the largest holdings drive most of the fund's day-to-day movement.marketvector.com
• Built as a single-industry chip sleeve, not an income holding. Distributions come once or twice a year.

Full CHPS profile⁠

Full SMH profile⁠