Data as of .
SMH vs XAR: which is really different?
SMH holds 82.3% of its weight in S&P 500 companies and XAR 35.0%.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: XAR scores higher
How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?
A percentile among the 371 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
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, SMH and XAR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in SMH | Only in XAR |
|---|---|
| Nvidia Corp 22.45% | RTX CORP 3.34% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co L 9.78% | VSE CORP 3.33% |
| Broadcom Inc 5.91% | ATI INC 3.25% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc 5.74% | ARCHER AVIATION INC A 3.23% |
| Micron Technology Inc 5.65% | AXON ENTERPRISE INC 3.20% |
| Asml Holding Nv 5.02% | GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 3.11% |
| Intel Corp 4.34% | GENERAL ELECTRIC 3.04% |
| Lam Research Corp 4.29% | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 3.02% |
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 10, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | vs the Nasdaq-100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMH | XAR | SMH | XAR | SMH | XAR | |
| 3 months | −8.3% | −12.1% | −11.6 pts | −15.4 pts | −7.5 pts | −11.3 pts |
| 6 months | +46.8% | −7.2% | +30.8 pts | −23.2 pts | +26.1 pts | −27.9 pts |
| 1 year | +87.6% | +11.8% | +70.1 pts | −5.7 pts | +64.7 pts | −11.2 pts |
| 3 years | +285.8% | +114.1% | +207.9 pts | +36.2 pts | +190.7 pts | +19.0 pts |
| Since launch | +5026.7% | +1042.3% | +4222.3 pts | +288.5 pts | +3352.8 pts | −366.6 pts |
| SMH VanEck Semiconductor ETF Holds 25 stocks in semiconductors, 82% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | XAR State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Aerospace & Defense ETF Holds 49 stocks in defense, 35% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | VanEck | State Street |
| Theme | Semiconductors | Defense |
| In the S&P 500 | 82.3% | 35.0% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 80.6% | 97.9% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 80.2% | 3.2% |
| Holdings | 25 | 49 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 71.7% | 31.4% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.43% | 0.36% |
| Total return, 1 year | +87.6% | +11.8% |
| vs the S&P 500 | +70.1 pts | −5.7 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | +64.7 pts | −11.2 pts |
| Below its high | −15.0% | −17.1% |
SMH in plain words
By weight, 82% of SMH's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 81%. The top ten holdings are 72% of the fund across 25 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +87.6% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 70.1 pts. It sits 15.0% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.
XAR in plain words
By weight, 35% of XAR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 31% of the fund across 49 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +11.8% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 5.7 pts. It sits 17.1% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, SMH or XAR?
- SMH has 82% of its weight in S&P 500 names and XAR has 35%, so XAR differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, SMH or XAR?
- SMH charges 0.35% a year and XAR charges 0.35%, so SMH 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, SMH against XAR, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/smh-vs-xar Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.