# ETFIQ Thematic, 60% stocks benchmark

> ETFIQ Thematic, 60% stocks holds 60% in 39 funds and 40% BND and AGG. Its returns by window and by year, risk and cost, as of Oct 7, 2026.

Data as of Oct 7, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.

Rebuilt every trading night. Figures as of Oct 7, 2026; trailing windows end at the last month end, Sep 30, 2026.

## ETFIQ Thematic, 60% stocks benchmark

A benchmark for thematic, megatrend and innovation models in the moderate band: 60% Themes (39 funds in equal parts) and 40% US bonds (BND and AGG in equal parts), reset on the last trading day of each quarter; its set is chosen again on the last trading day of each December and trades at the close of the next, 16 sets since Jan 3, 2011. A yardstick, not a recommendation.

+8.55% Total return, 1 year

+10.03% Total return a year, 10 years

Over 10 years to Sep 30, 2026, ETFIQ Thematic, 60% stocks, had a total return of +10.03% a year, hypothetical.

Launched on Oct 3, 2026, when ETFIQ froze its rule. Figures before Oct 5, 2026 are hypothetical: today’s rule and funds applied to earlier prices, which is look-ahead. From Oct 5, 2026 the record is tracked, and a window that starts before it is hypothetical as a whole.

### Total return by calendar year

- 2012: +9.48% total return, hypothetical

- 2013: +13.52% total return, hypothetical

- 2014: +0.29% total return, hypothetical

- 2015: −7.36% total return, hypothetical

- 2016: +15.56% total return, hypothetical

- 2017: +19.35% total return, hypothetical

- 2018: −7.26% total return, hypothetical

- 2019: +19.64% total return, hypothetical

- 2020: +32.95% total return, hypothetical

- 2021: +8.50% total return, hypothetical

- 2022: −19.70% total return, hypothetical

- 2023: +18.32% total return, hypothetical

- 2024: +7.30% total return, hypothetical

- 2025: +26.59% total return, hypothetical

- 2026 to Oct 7, 2026: +6.74% total return, hypothetical

### Other thematic benchmarks

### The rule

The rule: 60% Themes (39 funds in equal parts) and 40% US bonds (BND and AGG in equal parts), reset on the last trading day of each quarter; its set is chosen again on the last trading day of each December and trades at the close of the next, 16 sets since Jan 3, 2011. The thematic family’s rule, as the method states it: “x% stock sleeve, (100 - x)% the US bonds sleeve.” Methodology version 1.3; launched on Oct 3, 2026, when ETFIQ froze the family’s rule. Every weight follows from the rule and public facts; the funds are chosen by the rules in the method .

### What it holds

The weights the rule sets at each rebalance, in force since Jan 2, 2026. Each fund’s expense ratio is from its prospectus, as of Oct 24, 2025, Oct 28, 2025, Nov 21, 2025, Nov 26, 2025, Dec 18, 2025, Jan 27, 2026, Jan 28, 2026, Feb 26, 2026, Mar 27, 2026, Apr 24, 2026, Apr 28, 2026, Apr 29, 2026, Apr 30, 2026, Jun 18, 2026, Jul 27, 2026, Aug 21, 2026 and Aug 27, 2026.

| Ticker | Fund | Sleeve | Weight | Expense ratio |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AGG | iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF | US bonds | 20% | 0.03% |
| BND | Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF | US bonds | 20% | 0.03% |
| AIQ | Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF | Artificial intelligence | 1.54% | 0.68% |
| AIRR | First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF | Reshoring and manufacturing | 1.54% | 0.69% |
| ARKF | ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF | Fintech and digital payments | 1.54% | 0.75% |
| ARKG | ARK Genomic Revolution ETF | Genomics and gene editing | 1.54% | 0.75% |
| ARKK | ARK Innovation ETF | Broad innovation and megatrends | 1.54% | 0.75% |
| ARKX | ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF | Space | 1.54% | 0.75% |
| BLOK | Amplify Blockchain Technology ETF | Blockchain and crypto equities | 1.54% | 0.70% |
| BOTZ | Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF | Robotics and automation | 1.54% | 0.68% |
| CIBR | First Trust NASDAQ Cybersecurity ETF | Cybersecurity | 1.54% | 0.58% |
| COPX | Global X Copper Miners ETF | Copper | 1.54% | 0.65% |
| DRIV | Global X Autonomous & Electric Vehicles ETF | Electric vehicles and batteries | 1.54% | 0.68% |
| DTCR | Global X Data Center & Digital Infrastructure ETF | Digital infrastructure and data centers | 1.54% | 0.50% |
| ESPO | VanEck Video Gaming and eSports ETF | Gaming, esports and betting | 1.54% | 0.55% |
| FDN | First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund | Internet and e-commerce | 1.54% | 0.49% |
| GDX | VanEck Gold Miners ETF | Gold miners | 1.54% | 0.51% |
| GRID | First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund | Electrification and the grid | 1.54% | 0.56% |
| IBB | iShares Biotechnology ETF | Biotech | 1.54% | 0.44% |
| ICLN | iShares Global Clean Energy ETF | Clean energy | 1.54% | 0.38% |
| IETC | iShares U.S. Tech Independence Focused ETF | Energy security and critical technology | 1.54% | 0.18% |
| IGV | iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF | Cloud and software | 1.54% | 0.38% |
| IHI | iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF | Therapeutics and medical devices | 1.54% | 0.37% |
| ITA | iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF | Defense | 1.54% | 0.37% |
| JETS | U.S. Global Jets ETF | Shipping, aviation and logistics | 1.54% | 0.60% |
| LEGR | First Trust Indxx Innovative Transaction & Process ETF | Stablecoins and tokenisation | 1.54% | 0.65% |
| LIT | Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF | Lithium and battery metals | 1.54% | 0.75% |
| METV | Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF | Metaverse and immersive tech | 1.54% | 0.59% |
| MOO | VanEck Agribusiness ETF | Agriculture | 1.54% | 0.56% |
| MSOS | AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF | Cannabis | 1.54% | 0.78% |
| PAVE | Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF | Infrastructure | 1.54% | 0.47% |
| PEJ | Invesco Leisure and Entertainment ETF | Travel and leisure | 1.54% | 0.58% |
| PHO | Invesco Water Resources ETF | Water | 1.54% | 0.59% |
| QTUM | Defiance Quantum ETF | Quantum computing | 1.54% | 0.40% |
| REMX | VanEck Rare Earth and Strategic Metals ETF | Rare earth and critical materials | 1.54% | 0.53% |
| SIL | Global X Silver Miners ETF | Silver miners | 1.54% | 0.65% |
| SMH | VanEck Semiconductor ETF | Semiconductors | 1.54% | 0.35% |
| URA | Global X Uranium ETF | Nuclear and uranium | 1.54% | 0.69% |
| USNZ | Xtrackers Net Zero Pathway Paris Aligned US Equity ETF | Energy transition and decarbonisation | 1.54% | 0.10% |
| WOOD | iShares Global Timber & Forestry ETF | Timber and forestry | 1.54% | 0.39% |
| XME | State Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF | Miners and metals | 1.54% | 0.35% |

Weighted expense ratio 0.34%, each weight times its fund’s expense ratio. It is already inside the returns below.

### The themes held, re-chosen each December

A theme joins at the first December after its fund has 3 calendar years of prices; each set trades at the close of the next trading day.

| Chosen on | Held from | Themes | Themes that joined |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dec 31, 2025 | Jan 2, 2026 | 39 | Energy transition and decarbonisation |
| Dec 31, 2024 | Jan 2, 2025 | 38 | Metaverse and immersive tech; Space |
| Dec 29, 2023 | Jan 2, 2024 | 36 | Cannabis; Digital infrastructure and data centers |
| Dec 30, 2022 | Jan 3, 2023 | 34 | Fintech and digital payments |
| Dec 31, 2021 | Jan 3, 2022 | 33 | Artificial intelligence; Blockchain and crypto equities; Energy security and critical technology; Electric vehicles and batteries; Gaming, esports and betting; Quantum computing; Stablecoins and tokenisation |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Jan 4, 2021 | 26 | Infrastructure |
| Dec 31, 2019 | Jan 2, 2020 | 25 | Robotics and automation |
| Dec 31, 2018 | Jan 2, 2019 | 24 | Cybersecurity; Shipping, aviation and logistics |
| Dec 29, 2017 | Jan 2, 2018 | 22 | Genomics and gene editing; Broad innovation and megatrends; Reshoring and manufacturing |
| Dec 30, 2016 | Jan 3, 2017 | 19 | none |
| Dec 31, 2015 | Jan 4, 2016 | 19 | none |
| Dec 31, 2014 | Jan 2, 2015 | 19 | Semiconductors |
| Dec 31, 2013 | Jan 2, 2014 | 18 | Copper; Lithium and battery metals; Nuclear and uranium; Rare earth and critical materials; Silver miners |
| Dec 31, 2012 | Jan 2, 2013 | 13 | Electrification and the grid |
| Dec 30, 2011 | Jan 3, 2012 | 12 | Clean energy; Timber and forestry |
| Dec 31, 2010 | Jan 3, 2011 | 10 | Agriculture; Biotech; Cloud and software; Defense; Gold miners; Internet and e-commerce; Miners and metals; Therapeutics and medical devices; Travel and leisure; Water |

### Total return by window

Trailing windows end at the last month end; the window since the start runs to the last close. A year is the annualised rate over whole months. Data sourced by Tiingo .

| Window | From | To | Total return | A year | Basis | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 year | Sep 30, 2025 | Sep 30, 2026 | +8.55% | +8.55% | Hypothetical | |
| 3 years | Sep 29, 2023 | Sep 30, 2026 | +61.15% | +17.24% | Hypothetical | |
| 5 years | Sep 30, 2021 | Sep 30, 2026 | +40.27% | +7.00% | Hypothetical | |
| 10 years | Sep 30, 2016 | Sep 30, 2026 | +160.07% | +10.03% | Hypothetical | |
| Since Jan 3, 2011 | Jan 3, 2011 | Oct 7, 2026 | +249.67% | +8.34% | Hypothetical | A year over whole months, Jan 31, 2011 to Sep 30, 2026 |

### Total return by calendar year

Each year from the last close of one December to the next; the current year runs to the last close. Data sourced by Tiingo .

| Year | Total return | Basis | Why not published |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 to Oct 7, 2026 | +6.74% | Hypothetical | |
| 2025 | +26.59% | Hypothetical | |
| 2024 | +7.30% | Hypothetical | |
| 2023 | +18.32% | Hypothetical | |
| 2022 | −19.70% | Hypothetical | |
| 2021 | +8.50% | Hypothetical | |
| 2020 | +32.95% | Hypothetical | |
| 2019 | +19.64% | Hypothetical | |
| 2018 | −7.26% | Hypothetical | |
| 2017 | +19.35% | Hypothetical | |
| 2016 | +15.56% | Hypothetical | |
| 2015 | −7.36% | Hypothetical | |
| 2014 | +0.29% | Hypothetical | |
| 2013 | +13.52% | Hypothetical | |
| 2012 | +9.48% | Hypothetical | |
| 2011 | not published | not published | the history starts 2011-01-03, after the last close of December 2010 |

### Risk, cost and turnover

Volatility and the Sharpe ratio need 36 monthly returns; a figure with fewer is not published and says why. Data sourced by Tiingo .

| Figure | Value | Dates | Basis | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Volatility, since the start | 12.05% | Jan 31, 2011 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | |
| Volatility, 10 years | 13.19% | Sep 30, 2016 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | |
| Volatility, 5 years | 14.49% | Sep 30, 2021 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | |
| Volatility, 3 years | 12.48% | Sep 29, 2023 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | |
| Maximum drawdown, since the start | −27.93% | Jan 3, 2011 to Oct 7, 2026 | Hypothetical | from a peak on Nov 8, 2021 to a low on Oct 14, 2022; back at the peak on Nov 7, 2024 |
| Maximum drawdown, 1 year | −9.14% | Sep 30, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | from a peak on Jan 28, 2026 to a low on Mar 30, 2026; back at the peak on Apr 20, 2026 |
| Sharpe ratio, since the start | 0.59 | Jan 31, 2011 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | return over the Treasury 13-week bill rate, per unit of volatility, monthly |
| Sharpe ratio, 10 years | 0.60 | Sep 30, 2016 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | return over the Treasury 13-week bill rate, per unit of volatility, monthly |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.27 | Sep 30, 2021 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | return over the Treasury 13-week bill rate, per unit of volatility, monthly |
| Turnover, since the start | 17.49% a year | Jan 31, 2011 to Sep 30, 2026 | Hypothetical | the share of the benchmark its rebalances traded, a year |
| Factor loadings, since the start | Mkt-RF 0.67; SMB 0.12; HML −0.16; RMW −0.15; CMA 0.11; Mom −0.13 | Jan 31, 2011 to Aug 31, 2026 | Hypothetical | monthly excess return on the six factors, by least squares; each factor on its own row below |
| Factor loading, market (Mkt-RF), since the start | 0.67 | Jan 31, 2011 to Aug 31, 2026 | Hypothetical | t statistic 23.33 |
| Factor loading, size (SMB), since the start | 0.12 | Jan 31, 2011 to Aug 31, 2026 | Hypothetical | t statistic 2.36 |
| Factor loading, value (HML), since the start | −0.16 | Jan 31, 2011 to Aug 31, 2026 | Hypothetical | t statistic −3.29 |
| Factor loading, profitability (RMW), since the start | −0.15 | Jan 31, 2011 to Aug 31, 2026 | Hypothetical | t statistic −2.86 |
| Factor loading, investment (CMA), since the start | 0.11 | Jan 31, 2011 to Aug 31, 2026 | Hypothetical | t statistic 1.63 |
| Factor loading, momentum (Mom), since the start | −0.13 | Jan 31, 2011 to Aug 31, 2026 | Hypothetical | t statistic −3.87 |
| Level, from 100 at the start | 349.67 | Jan 3, 2011 to Oct 7, 2026 | Hypothetical | the benchmark’s value on Oct 7, 2026, from a base of 100 on Jan 3, 2011 |
| Weighted expense ratio | 0.34% | Oct 7, 2026 | Tracked | each weight times its fund’s expense ratio; already inside the returns |

### Questions people ask

What is ETFIQ Thematic, 60% stocks? A rules-based benchmark: 60% Themes (39 funds in equal parts) and 40% US bonds (BND and AGG in equal parts), reset on the last trading day of each quarter; its set is chosen again on the last trading day of each December and trades at the close of the next, 16 sets since Jan 3, 2011. ETFIQ publishes it to measure thematic, megatrend and innovation models with about 60% in stocks. It is not a fund and cannot be bought. Is ETFIQ Thematic, 60% stocks a recommendation? No. It is a yardstick, the same for everyone, and every weight follows from a written rule and public facts. ETFIQ publishes no trades for it and takes no payment from the issuer of any fund it holds. Why are some of its returns hypothetical? ETFIQ froze the rule on Oct 3, 2026. Returns before Oct 5, 2026 apply today’s rule and funds to earlier prices, which is look-ahead; returns from that date are tracked. The price source does not carry funds that closed before 2016, so nothing here is free of survivorship bias. Total returns are market price with distributions reinvested, net of each fund’s own fees, with nothing else deducted. The price source does not carry funds that closed before 2016, so nothing here is free of survivorship bias. Data sourced by Tiingo .

### Where these figures came from

### Where to next

ETFIQ is an independent publisher of exchange-traded fund data. It is not a fund issuer, broker-dealer or investment adviser, takes no payment from issuers, and makes no recommendations.

---

Source: ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.
Cite: ETFIQ, ETFIQ Thematic, 60% stocks benchmark, data as of Oct 7, 2026. https://etfiq.com/benchmarks/thematic-60/
Licence: https://etfiq.com/license/ Figures ETFIQ computes are free to use with attribution: ETFIQ (etfiq.com). Issuer data stays under its owner's terms.
HTML: https://etfiq.com/benchmarks/thematic-60/