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LABU vs SOXL

Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X Shares

LABUBNYSE Arca

Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETF

SOXLANYSE Arca

Overlap

4.7%by weight

Expense ratio

SOXL −0.21pt a year

LABU0.96%SOXL0.75%

Avg volume · 30D

SOXL 170.5×the volume

LABU415KSOXL70.7M

10Y return · a year

SOXL +47.3pt

LABU−7.9%SOXL+39.4%

LABU vs SOXL Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

−76.4%LABU+66.7%SOXL

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. LABU −76.4%. SOXL +66.7%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.200%300%400%500%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
LABU 0.96%
SOXL 0.75%, better
Fund size
LABU $673M
SOXL $24.3B
1Y total return
LABU +89.6%, better
SOXL +61.4%
Yield (12M)
LABU 0.37%, better
SOXL 0.12%
Holdings
LABU 168
SOXL 43
Avg volume (30D)
LABU 415K sh
SOXL 70.7M sh, better
NAV per share
LABU $256.47
SOXL $102.45
52W range

ETF.net Grade

LABU: Cost 62, Risk 45, Mission not scored, Tradability 49, Holdings not scored, Durability 59. SOXL: Cost 100, Risk 32, Mission not scored, Tradability 79, Holdings not scored, Durability 69.
Pillar letters and Scores for LABU, SOXL, with each pillar’s weight
PillarLABUSOXL
Cost30% weightB62A100Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightC45HigherD32
Tradability15% weightC49A79Higher
Holdings10% weightNot scoredNot scored
Durability5% weightB59B69Higher

Rank among 3x Leveraged Long funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. LABU and SOXL are both graded against the same 30 3x Leveraged Long funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

3x Leveraged Long⁠

Category · 30 funds
See all 30 ›

SOXL ranks 4th and LABU 11th of 30 funds in the 3x Leveraged Long Category.

  1. Rank 1ATQQQProShares UltraPro QQQScore 86
  2. Rank 2AUDOWProShares UltraPro Dow30Score 81
  3. Rank 3AFASDirexion Daily Financial Bull 3X ETFScore 80
  4. Rank 4ASOXLDirexion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETFScore 76
  5. Rank 5ATMFDirexion Daily 20+ Year Treasury Bull 3X ETFScore 74
  6. Rank 10BUMDDProShares UltraPro MidCap 400Score 56
  7. Rank 11BLABUDirexion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X SharesScore 54
  8. Rank 12CDFENDirexion Daily Aerospace & Defense Bull 3X SharesScore 51

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

LABUBDirexion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X Shares

SOXLADirexion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETF

In short

LABU Three times the daily move of an index of roughly 160 biotech stocks, the corner of the market where one trial readout resets the tape. Direxion's 2015-vintage bull leg, with a bear twin wired to the same benchmark.

SOXL A 3x bet on chip stocks that resets every single day. Direxion launched it in 2010, long before AI made semiconductors the market's main event, and it is now one of the most heavily traded leveraged funds out there.

Stated mandate

LABU The fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, equal to 300% of the performance of the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index.

SOXL It is designed to deliver a daily result three times the performance of the NYSE Semiconductor Index, before fees and expenses, with the objective applying for a single day.

Why people hold it

  • LABU Fee is 0.96%, under the typical 3x fund's. Leverage is the pricey shelf in ETF land, and this one sits on the cheaper side of it.
  • The 3x rides a basket of roughly 160 biotech names, not one drug story, so no single approval or rejection owns the day.direxion.com
  • Trading since 2015 and actively traded, and it stands in the upper tier of the leveraged bull funds we cover.
  • A bear twin runs -300% of the same index daily, so the other side of the biotech view uses identical plumbing.direxion.com
  • SOXL Cheap for the aisle it sits in: 0.75% net of a waiver through September 1, 2027 (0.91% gross), below the category median and under TQQQ's 0.78% net of a waiver through September 30, 2027.
  • The mandate is mechanical: 300% of the NYSE Semiconductor Index's daily move, before fees and expenses, across roughly 40 chip names. No stock picking, no manager discretion.direxion.com
  • A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades very actively, which matters for an instrument designed to be entered and exited inside a single session.
  • Trading since 2010, through several full chip cycles. That is a long run for a 3x product, and one of the stronger setups in its leveraged peer group.

Worth knowing

  • LABU The 300% target resets every day. Hold past that and compounding takes the wheel, so multi-day results can land far from 3x the index move over the same stretch.direxion.com
  • Leverage is pointed at one volatile industry, so daily swings arrive tripled in both directions. Position sizing does a lot of work here.
  • Distributions land annually or semiannually at most. This is built as a trading tool, not an income stream.
  • SOXL The 3x target applies to one day only. Daily reset plus compounding means multi-day results can diverge sharply from 3x the index, and choppy markets erode value.direxion.com
  • Semiconductors already swing hard. Tripling the daily move magnifies down days exactly as much as up days, so losses can pile up fast.
  • Roughly 40 stocks in a single US industry. No diversification cushion here, and the index itself has been renamed once (to the NYSE Semiconductor Index in 2023).sec.gov

Full LABU profile⁠

Full SOXL profile⁠

LABU vs SOXL Holdings

How LABU and SOXL differ

Overlap by weight

4.7%

Shared holdings make up 9.6% of LABU and 8.4% of SOXL.

Level by level

  • Asset classLeveraged/Inverse, Equity0.0%
  • Sector3 Sectors0.0%
  • Holdings1 in both4.7%
  • Countryby domicile89.8%

Sector

Sector weights in LABU and SOXL, widest gap first
SectorMore in LABUMore in SOXL
TechnologySOXL +100.0 points
Health CareLABU +99.3 points
FinancialsLABU +0.7 points

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in LABU and SOXL, widest gap first
CountryMore in LABUMore in SOXL
United StatesLABU +6.0 points
TaiwanSOXL +4.7 points
South KoreaSOXL +3.0 points
IrelandLABU +1.5 points
SwitzerlandLABU +1.4 points
United KingdomLABU +1.3 points
IsraelSOXL +1.1 points
NetherlandsSOXL +1.0 points
SingaporeSOXL +0.4 points

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • LABU80.2%
  • SOXL74.3%

Securities held

  • LABU159
  • SOXL32

Asset class

LABU
Leveraged/Inverse
SOXL
Equity

Holdings

  • Only in LABU158
  • In both1
  • Only in SOXL31

Only in LABU

158 securities, 20.2% of LABU by weight

  • Moderna Inc0.48%
  • Twist Bioscience Corp0.40%
  • Natera Inc0.38%

Only in SOXL

31 securities, 23.4% of SOXL by weight

  • Jp Morgan 100 Us Trsy Capital 31632.46%
  • Advanced Micro Devices1.99%
  • Intel Corp1.70%

Weight gaps

All 1 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in LABU and SOXL, widest gap first
HoldingMore in LABUMore in SOXL
Goldman Finl Sq Trsry Inst 506LABU +3.53 points

All 156 LABU holdings⁠All 44 SOXL 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.

LABU vs SOXL Cost

Overpaying LABU vs SOXL

$3,552

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

  • LABU 0.96%

    $18,034

  • SOXL 0.75%

    $14,482

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • LABU 0.96%
  • SOXL 0.75%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530LABU $18,034SOXL $14,482

Year by year

YearLABUSOXLOverpaying
10$1,695$1,336$359
20$6,383$5,078$1,305
30$18,034$14,482$3,552

Expense ratio

  • 0.96%LABU
  • 0.75%SOXL, cheaper
  • Middle half of 3x Leveraged Long funds
  • Median 0.96%

SOXL cheapest of 30 funds

LABU 11th cheapest of 30 funds

LABU vs SOXL Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
LABU 0.37%, better
SOXL 0.12%
Payout (12M)
LABU $0.91
SOXL $0.09
Last payment
LABU $0.91
SOXL $0.09
Ex-dividend
LABU Dec 23, 2025
SOXL Sep 22, 2026
Paid on
LABU Dec 31, 2025
SOXL Sep 29, 2026
Frequency
LABU Quarterly
SOXL Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

LABUQuarterly · 17 paymentsAll LABU payments⁠
One bar per payment. 17 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 13, 2017 $2.66; Jun 19, 2018 $0.39; Sep 25, 2018 $1.91; Dec 27, 2018 $1.92; Mar 19, 2019 $2.19; Jun 25, 2019 $0.74; Sep 24, 2019 $0.22; Dec 23, 2019 $0.11; Jun 21, 2023 $0.18; Sep 19, 2023 $0.04; Dec 21, 2023 $0.21; Mar 19, 2024 $0.16; Jun 25, 2024 $0.15; Mar 25, 2025 $0.11; Jun 24, 2025 $0.22; Sep 23, 2025 $0.10; Dec 23, 2025 $0.91. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD
SOXLAnnual · 29 paymentsAll SOXL payments⁠
One bar per payment. 29 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 19, 2017 $0.0081; Jun 19, 2018 $0.02; Sep 25, 2018 $0.03; Dec 27, 2018 $0.02; Mar 19, 2019 $0.02; Jun 25, 2019 $0.01; Sep 24, 2019 $0.02; Dec 23, 2019 $0.02; Mar 24, 2020 $0.0053; Jun 23, 2020 $0.0063; Dec 22, 2020 $0.0034; Mar 23, 2021 $0.02; Dec 21, 2021 $0.01; Mar 22, 2022 $0.0072; Jun 22, 2022 $0.02; Sep 20, 2022 $0.04; Dec 20, 2022 $0.04; Mar 21, 2023 $0.03; Jun 21, 2023 $0.04; Sep 19, 2023 $0.03; Dec 21, 2023 $0.06; Mar 19, 2024 $0.04; Jun 25, 2024 $0.15; Sep 24, 2024 $0.06; Dec 23, 2024 $0.08; Mar 25, 2025 $0.06; Jun 24, 2025 $0.07; Sep 23, 2025 $0.01; Sep 22, 2026 $0.09. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD

LABU vs SOXL Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • LABU
  • SOXL
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: LABU −97.1% · Apr 2025. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−100%−75%−50%−25%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
LABU 76.7%, betterSOXL 137.2%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
LABU 0.96, betterSOXL 0.90
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
LABU −97.1%SOXL −90.5%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
LABU 3.16SOXL 7.64

LABU and SOXL in the news

All news⁠

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