Investor scrutiny shifts to semiconductor costs and nuclear energy as ETF.com data reveals market focus
Semiconductor ETFs dominated the platform’s traffic with the SMH versus SOXX matchup leading all comparisons, while large-cap growth funds saw intense scrutiny over expense ratios. Nuclear energy and momentum factors also emerged as key areas of due diligence among investors.
Data from ETF.com’s comparison tool for the 28-day period ending May 28, 2026, recorded 96,861 user sessions, revealing investor focus on semiconductor, large-cap growth, nuclear energy, and momentum factor ETFs. The single most-searched matchup on the site was SMH versus SOXX, with 2,478 users, significantly outpacing other pairs. When aggregating every comparison involving a semiconductor ETF, the category accounted for more than 9,000 sessions, indicating that investors are drilling down into specific exposures ranging from broad chip makers to leveraged plays and pure-play designers.
Large-cap growth ETFs, specifically SCHG, VUG, QQQM, and QQQ, saw intense comparison activity, with SCHG emerging as a cost-conscious challenger to QQQ. The debate centred on the 0.04 per cent versus 0.20 per cent expense ratio, with over 2,000 users actively evaluating the cost differential. This scrutiny extended to foundational holdings, as investors compared QQQ against SPY and VTI, while also assessing whether the switch to QQQM offered practical value for their portfolios.
Nuclear and uranium ETFs (URA, NLR, URNM) generated over 1,500 comparison sessions, indicating serious due diligence in a previously niche category. Investors were distinguishing between physical uranium and uranium miners, as well as pure-play versus diversified nuclear funds. This surge in research coincided with a US-China summit in Beijing, where US stock markets rose, and Nvidia shares surged more than 2 per cent following the approval of H200 chip sales to Chinese firms.
Momentum factor investing via SPMO appeared in six top matchups, with investors stress-testing it against core holdings like VOO and QQQ. The data also showed active research into T-bill ETFs, with comparisons between TBIL, SGOV, and BIL remaining steady. The BOXX comparison signalled interest in exotic cash-management structures, suggesting that investors are exploring more complex options for liquidity management despite rate cut expectations.
AI ETF comparisons (AIQ, BOTZ, ARKQ) showed BOTZ as a reference point, though no consensus pick had emerged. Defense ETF comparisons (XAR, PPA, ITA) spiked, correlating with geopolitical headlines. The overlap with space ETFs, such as UFO and ARKX, suggested that some investors were treating aerospace and defence as adjacent bets. Overall, the data reflects a research-driven investor base evaluating portfolio construction and cost efficiency.
