Data as of .
BAI vs FAI: which is really different?
BAI and FAI hold 36% of their weight in the same names, and FAI returned more over the year.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: BAI scores higher
How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?
A percentile among the 379 thematic ETFs with a holdings filing. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All thematic ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
36% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BAI and FAI hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | BAI | FAI |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | 5.31% | 8.49% |
| BROADCOM INC | 4.61% | 7.39% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES | 5.20% | 4.02% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY | 6.62% | 3.88% |
| MARVELL TECHNOLOGY | 2.48% | 3.19% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A | 2.47% | 7.23% |
| MICROSOFT | 2.09% | 9.42% |
| AMAZON.COM INC | 1.99% | 7.78% |
| CROWDSTRIKE HOLDINGS CLASS A | 2.06% | 1.75% |
| SNOWFLAKE | 2.97% | 1.63% |
| ARISTA NETWORKS | 2.23% | 1.56% |
| SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES COR | 3.05% | 1.46% |
| Only in BAI | Only in FAI |
|---|---|
| TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING 4.68% | Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 5.12% |
| LAM RESEARCH 3.85% | Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 4.25% |
| INTEL CORPORATION 3.01% | Oracle Corporation 3.92% |
| LUMENTUM HOLDINGS 2.84% | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. 3.77% |
| SANDISK 2.59% | ASML Holding N.V. 3.31% |
| WESTERN DIGITAL CORP 2.52% | SK Hynix Inc. 3.16% |
| ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS 2.45% | ServiceNow, Inc. 2.09% |
| ELITE MATERIAL 2.43% | MediaTek Inc. 1.55% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | vs the Nasdaq-100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAI | FAI | BAI | FAI | BAI | FAI | |
| 3 months | −15.2% | −0.5% | −17.4 pts | −2.7 pts | −12.7 pts | +2.0 pts |
| 6 months | +34.8% | +44.6% | +16.8 pts | +26.6 pts | +10.6 pts | +20.4 pts |
| 1 year | +32.2% | +38.0% | +15.7 pts | +21.4 pts | +10.4 pts | +16.2 pts |
| Since launch | +83.4% | +82.5% | +49.9 pts | +51.2 pts | +36.7 pts | +38.3 pts |
| BAI iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF Holds 55 stocks in artificial intelligence, 56% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | FAI First Trust Bloomberg Artificial Intelligence ETF Holds 54 stocks in artificial intelligence, 77% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | First Trust |
| Theme | Artificial intelligence | Artificial intelligence |
| In the S&P 500 | 55.6% | 76.9% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 76.4% | 70.0% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 50.0% | 73.5% |
| Holdings | 55 | 54 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 42.2% | 61.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.55% | 0.65% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.72% | 0.93% |
| Total return, 1 year | +32.2% | +38.0% |
| vs the S&P 500 | +15.7 pts | +21.4 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | +10.4 pts | +16.2 pts |
| Below its high | −16.8% | −4.8% |
| Net assets | $14.4bn | $190m |
BAI in plain words
By weight, 56% of BAI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 76%. The top ten holdings are 42% of the fund across 55 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +32.2% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 15.7 pts. It sits 16.8% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.
FAI in plain words
By weight, 77% of FAI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 70%. The top ten holdings are 62% of the fund across 54 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +38.0% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 21.4 pts.
Questions people ask
- Do BAI and FAI hold the same stocks?
- By their latest filings, 36% of their books are the same securities at the same weight, which is a meaningful overlap. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, BAI or FAI?
- BAI has 56% of its weight in S&P 500 names and FAI has 77%, so BAI differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, BAI or FAI?
- BAI charges 0.55% a year and FAI charges 0.65%, so BAI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, BAI against FAI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/bai-vs-fai Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.