FTXL vs SOXX: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

First Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF

FTXLBNasdaq

iShares Semiconductor ETF

SOXXANasdaq

Overlap

77.4%by weight

Expense ratio

SOXX −0.27pt a year

FTXL0.60%SOXX0.33%

Avg volume · 30D

SOXX 38.0×the volume

FTXL232KSOXX8.8M

10Y return · a year

SOXX +2.9pt

FTXL+27.3%SOXX+30.2%

FTXL vs SOXX Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+210.3%FTXL+209.6%SOXX

Expense ratio: FTXL 0.60%; SOXX 0.33%, better
Fund size: FTXL $1.08B; SOXX $43.7B
1Y total return: FTXL +67.8%, better; SOXX +54.3%
Yield (12M): FTXL 0.08%; SOXX 0.27%, better
Holdings: FTXL 38; SOXX 33
Avg volume (30D): FTXL 232K sh; SOXX 8.8M sh, better
NAV per share: FTXL $211.17; SOXX $471.56
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for FTXL, SOXX, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	FTXL	SOXX
Cost30% weight	C50	A83Higher
Mission25% weight	Not scored	A70
Risk15% weight	C45	C50Higher
Tradability15% weight	A88	A93Higher
Holdings10% weight	A81Higher	A75
Durability5% weight	A82	A96Higher

Rank among Semiconductors funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. FTXL and SOXX are both graded against the same 25 Semiconductors funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Semiconductors⁠

Category · 25 funds

See all 25 ›

SOXX ranks 3rd and FTXL 10th of 25 funds in the Semiconductors Category.

Rank 1ASOXQInvesco PHLX Semiconductor ETFScore 82
Rank 2ASMHVanEck Semiconductor ETFScore 79
Rank 3ASOXXiShares Semiconductor ETFScore 78
Rank 4ACHPSXtrackers Semiconductor Select Equity ETFScore 77
Rank 7BPSIInvesco Semiconductors ETFScore 64
Rank 10BFTXLFirst Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETFScore 62
Rank 11BSHOCStrive U.S. Semiconductor ETFScore 61

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FTXLBFirst Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF

SOXXAiShares Semiconductor ETF

In short

FTXL Most chip ETFs rank by size. FTXL runs roughly 30 US semiconductor names through momentum and profitability screens instead, so the weighting ladder is built on factor scores rather than market cap alone.

SOXX The original chip ETF, running since 2001 and still one of the most heavily traded ways to own the semiconductor complex: roughly 30 US-listed names, from chip designers to the equipment makers who supply them.

Stated mandate

FTXL The Fund seeks to track the Nasdaq US Smart Semiconductor Index before fees and expenses. The index provides exposure to U.S. semiconductor companies and uses a modified factor-weighting methodology.

SOXX The Fund is designed to follow an index of U.S.-listed companies operating in the semiconductor sector.

Why people hold it

FTXL The tracked index screens on momentum and profitability, so position sizes follow factor scores instead of sheer market cap.ftportfolios.com
Roughly 30 US chip stocks and nothing else: a concentrated, straight-through read on semiconductors rather than a broad tech basket.
Live since 2016 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund with moderate trading activity, it is one of the longer-running factor takes on the sector.
Pays distributions quarterly, in line with the sector's typically modest dividend profile.

SOXX Live since 2001, it is one of the longest-running semiconductor funds and now a multi-billion-dollar one, with heavy daily volume that typically keeps bid-ask spreads narrow.
0.33% a year, slightly under the typical fee among semiconductor ETFs.
A clean pure play: the index tracks US-listed semiconductor companies only, roughly 30 of them, spanning the chip value chain rather than one slice of it.ishares.com
On cost, liquidity and index execution together, it stands among the stronger builds in a crowded semiconductor field.

Worth knowing

FTXL At 0.60% a year, it costs more than several chip rivals: SOXQ at 0.19%, CHPS at 0.15%, SOXX at 0.33%.
Factor weighting means the lineup can look quite different from a cap-weighted chip index, and that gap cuts both ways.
About 30 stocks in one cyclical industry: moves are sharper than a diversified fund's, up and down.

SOXX One sector, roughly 30 stocks, non-diversified by design. Moves are bigger than a broad market fund's in both directions.ishares.com
Cheaper chip funds exist: SOXQ charges 0.19% and CHPS 0.15%, so part of this fee buys the deeper trading pool rather than the exposure itself.
Not an income vehicle. Chipmakers tend to pay modest dividends, and the fund distributes quarterly.ishares.com

Full FTXL profile⁠

Full SOXX profile⁠

FTXL vs SOXX Holdings

How FTXL and SOXX differ

Overlap by weight

77.4%

Shared holdings make up 88.1% of SOXX and 87.1% of FTXL.

Level by level

Holdings21 in both77.4%
Countryby domicile89.3%
Sector2 Sectors99.5%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in FTXL and SOXX, widest gap first
Sector	More in FTXLMore in SOXX	FTXL	SOXX
Technology	SOXX +0.5 points	99.5%	100.0%
Industrials	FTXL +0.5 points	0.5%	0.0%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in FTXL and SOXX, widest gap first
Country	More in FTXLMore in SOXX	FTXL	SOXX
United States	FTXL +10.7 points	100.0%	89.3%
Taiwan	SOXX +4.7 points	0.0%	4.7%
South Korea	SOXX +3.0 points	0.0%	3.0%
Netherlands	SOXX +1.5 points	0.0%	1.5%
Israel	SOXX +1.1 points	0.0%	1.1%
Singapore	SOXX +0.4 points	0.0%	0.4%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

FTXL60.0%
SOXX61.0%

Securities held

FTXL37
SOXX30

Asset class

FTXL: Equity
SOXX: Equity

Holdings

Only in FTXL16
In both21
Only in SOXX9

Only in FTXL

16 securities, 12.7% of FTXL by weight

Amkor Technology, Inc.3.25%
Cirrus Logic, Inc.1.78%
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.0.94%
Rambus Inc.0.93%
Diodes Incorporated0.66%
Onto Innovation Inc.0.62%
Avnet, Inc.0.53%
Semtech Corporation0.52%
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.0.49%
AXT, Inc.0.49%
FormFactor, Inc.0.47%
Adeia Inc.0.46%
Lattice Semiconductor Corporation0.43%
Coherent Corp.0.41%
Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc.0.39%
ACM Research, Inc. (Class A)0.34%

Only in SOXX

9 securities, 11.8% of SOXX by weight

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing3.22%
Sk Hynix American Depositary Share2.99%
Asml Holding Adr Representing1.52%
Tower Semiconductor1.04%
Ase Technology Holding Adr Represe0.95%
Cerebras Systems Inc Class A0.62%
United Micro Electronics Adr Rep0.56%
Stmicroelectronics Adr0.44%
Arm Holdings American Depositary’s0.43%

Weight gaps

All 21 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in FTXL and SOXX, widest gap first
Holding	More in FTXLMore in SOXX	FTXL	SOXX
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD	SOXX +4.76 points	4.48%	9.24%
QUALCOMM IncorporatedQCOM	FTXL +3.92 points	8.08%	4.16%
ON Semiconductor CorporationON	FTXL +2.39 points	4.04%	1.65%
Astera Labs, Inc.ALAB	SOXX +1.67 points	0.52%	2.19%
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.MPWR	SOXX +1.47 points	1.95%	3.42%
Entegris, Inc.ENTG	FTXL +1.34 points	2.74%	1.40%
NXP Semiconductors N.V.NXPI	FTXL +1.03 points	4.83%	3.80%
Microchip Technology IncorporatedMCHP	FTXL +0.95 points	3.41%	2.46%
Credo Technology Group Holding LtdCRDO	SOXX +0.81 points	0.71%	1.52%
MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.MTSI	SOXX +0.39 points	0.60%	0.99%
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA	SOXX +0.23 points	7.75%	7.98%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU	SOXX +0.24 points	7.71%	7.95%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO	SOXX +0.22 points	7.36%	7.58%
Intel CorporationINTC	SOXX +0.19 points	6.14%	6.33%
Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN	SOXX +0.15 points	4.82%	4.96%
Analog Devices, Inc.ADI	SOXX +0.15 points	4.81%	4.96%
Marvell Technology, Inc.MRVL	SOXX +0.12 points	3.88%	4.00%
KLA CorporationKLAC	SOXX +0.12 points	3.76%	3.88%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT	SOXX +0.10 points	3.56%	3.66%
Teradyne, Inc.TER	FTXL +0.10 points	2.64%	2.54%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX	SOXX +0.11 points	3.31%	3.42%

All 37 FTXL holdings⁠All 30 SOXX holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

FTXL vs SOXX Cost

Overpaying FTXL vs SOXX

$5,080

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

FTXL 0.60%
$11,817
SOXX 0.33%
$6,737

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

FTXL 0.60%
SOXX 0.33%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	FTXL	SOXX	Overpaying
10	$1,076	$598	$478
20	$4,116	$2,318	$1,798
30	$11,817	$6,737	$5,080

Expense ratio

0.60%FTXL
0.33%SOXX, cheaper

SOXX0.33%FTXL0.60%

0.15%1.00%

Middle half of Semiconductors funds
Median 0.60%

SOXX 5th cheapest of 25 funds

FTXL 13th cheapest of 25 funds

FTXL vs SOXX Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): FTXL 0.08%; SOXX 0.27%, better
Payout (12M): FTXL $0.17; SOXX $1.25
Last payment: FTXL $0.04; SOXX $0.33
Ex-dividend: FTXL Jun 25, 2026; SOXX Sep 15, 2026
Paid on: FTXL Jun 30, 2026; SOXX Sep 18, 2026
Frequency: FTXL Quarterly; SOXX Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FTXLQuarterly · 38 paymentsAll FTXL payments⁠

SOXXQuarterly · 40 paymentsAll SOXX payments⁠

FTXL vs SOXX Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

FTXL
SOXX

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: FTXL 41.2%SOXX 39.4%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: FTXL 1.09, betterSOXX 1.08
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: FTXL −43.9%, betterSOXX −45.8%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: FTXL 2.30SOXX 2.24; Market = 1

FTXL and SOXX in the news

All news⁠

Deep Dive
AMD and Micron lifted chip funds. Equipment still lost the week
Sep 19, 2026FTXLSOXX
Top Movers
Brazil small-cap fund falls 37% in the week Lula won again
Oct 30, 2026SOXX
Closing Bell
Chip woes drag Nazdaq, S&P 500 to worst day since June
Oct 30, 2026SOXX
Top Movers
Intel's forecast sank the chip ETFs, and funds holding more Intel fell harder
Oct 30, 2026SOXX
Opening Bell
Seoul jumps 6.6% on SK Hynix, and New York is not matching it
Oct 28, 2026SOXX
Top Movers
The biggest fund drop Tuesday was a WisdomTree payout, not a selloff
Oct 27, 2026SOXX

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