ETF Weekly Recap: Semiconductors Soared, Bitcoin and Gold Got Hit

It was a week of sharp contrasts across asset classes. Semiconductor and energy ETFs led the gains, while Bitcoin and gold-related funds took a hit.

🚀 Chips ran

• $iShares Semiconductor ETF(SOXX)$ : +9.35%

• $iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF(EWT)$ : +9.12%

• $VanEck Semiconductor ETF(SMH)$ : +4.91%

The semiconductor trade was back in focus, with chip-related funds dominating the winners.

⚡ Energy rallied

• $Spdr S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Etf(XOP)$ : +6.35%

• $Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund(XLE)$ : +5.42%

Energy stocks also posted solid gains, adding another pocket of strength to the market.

📉 Gold and Bitcoin sank

• $iShares Bitcoin Trust(IBIT)$ : -9.19%

• $VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF(GDXJ)$ : -8.09%

• $VanEck Gold Miners ETF(GDX)$ : -6.80%

• $SPDR Gold ETF(GLD)$ : -4.58%

Bitcoin and gold-related funds were among the week's biggest losers. Gold miners fell even harder than bullion.

🌎 Across the market

• US large caps: +2.64%

• US small caps: +2.26%

• International stocks: +2.33%

• Bonds: -1.24%

Equities broadly finished higher, while bonds moved in the opposite direction.

🏆 Best-performing fund

The biggest winner on the list was $Direxion Daily Semiconductors Bull 3x Shares(SOXL)$ , up 26.86%.

That's a 3x leveraged semiconductor ETF, meaning its daily performance seeks to deliver three times the daily return of its underlying semiconductor index — and its volatility can be substantial.