SOXL
Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares
Published by Radif Partners · Updated
Overview
Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (SOXL) tracks the ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged index synthetically, through a swap agreement rather than by holding the constituents, and is managed by Direxion. Dividends are paid out to holders rather than reinvested, so SOXL suits investors seeking regular income. The fund is domiciled in US, which determines the withholding tax treatment applied to its dividends. Annual charges come to 0.76% of assets, and the fund holds 24.0B under management. Over five years the fund returned 16.3% a year on average, against 77.9% over three years. It is not eligible for the French PEA, but can be held in a securities account, a UK ISA or a German Depot. Its risk level is rated high. Launched on 2010-03-11, the fund is denominated in USD and has 16 years of track record. Because SOXL distributes, every payment is taxable in the year it is received, against the dividend allowance in a general account, while it stays sheltered inside an ISA or a SIPP. Domicile in US sets the withholding the fund itself suffers on the dividends it receives, a cost absent from the stated fee but present in the return.
Ongoing charges of 0.76% place this fund 40th of 44 comparable funds, whose median is 0.40%. On £10,000 that costs about 76 a year and 760 over ten years at a constant amount, deducted daily and never visible on a statement: it shows up in the gap between the fund's return and its index's. At this level, neither low enough to be an argument nor high enough to be an obstacle, the decision rests elsewhere: on the index tracked, on the distribution policy, and on what your broker charges to buy.
This fund tracks ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged through a swap: it does not hold the index constituents but a collateral basket, and exchanges that basket's return for the index's with a bank. Two consequences are real. It introduces counterparty risk, bounded by collateral revalued daily and by regulation, but not zero. And it makes possible what direct holding cannot: tracking an index closed to direct purchase, or avoiding withholding tax on dividends, which is why a synthetic fund sometimes beats its physical twin after tax. The swap's cost does not appear in the ongoing charge; it shows up in tracking difference measured over several years.
The fund is domiciled in the United States, and for a European investor that is the point to settle before any other. A US fund is outside UCITS regulation: most European brokers cannot offer it to a retail client for want of a key information document, so access depends on the investor's status. Two tax consequences follow as well: dividends paid to a non-resident bear US withholding, reduced by treaty where a W-8BEN is in place, and US securities held directly fall within US estate tax above a threshold that is low for a non-resident. An Irish-domiciled equivalent avoids both questions.
Income is distributed: the fund pays out the dividends it receives, usually one to four times a year. For a holder living off the portfolio that is what is wanted, since the income arrives without selling. For someone still accumulating it is a tax disadvantage in a taxable account: each payment is taxed in the year received, so the amount reinvested is reduced before it starts working again. Reinvesting by hand also costs a dealing commission each time and often leaves cash idle for want of the price of a whole unit. An accumulating class on the same index, where one exists, settles the question.
With 24.0 billion in assets and 16 years of history, this fund has the size and the record that make closure unlikely and the spread narrow. Three checks remain, once a year, none of which depends on the market. The ongoing charge, which an issuer revises without notice and whose gap to a competitor can invert. The tracking difference, the only figure that says whether replication stays faithful. And the methodology of ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged, which can change its selection or weighting rules without the fund's name moving, in which case what you hold has changed with nothing to announce it.
ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged is a sector index, and that is an explicit bet: the portfolio gives up diversification across sectors to take a position in one. Three consequences follow. Concentration first, often around twenty companies whose top three make up a notable share, so the outcome depends on identifiable firms. Internal correlation next, which defeats the idea of dampening risk within the sector. And timing last: a sector runs in long cycles, and entry rarely lands well when the purchase follows a strong rise already published.
Over one year the fund shows 117.1% against 16.3% annualised over five years: the recent year sits well above the long average. A gap in that direction mainly counsels care about the entry point, since what has risen sharply lately costs more today than a year ago, and the long average is the figure that best describes what to expect.
0.76%
24.0B
23,969M USDHigh
111
Synthetic
Distributing
USD
US
ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged
Direxion
2010-03-11 (16 years)
Contextual Analysis
Fund Size
With 24.0B in assets, this is a large fund, good liquidity and tight spreads.
Fee Positioning
A TER of 0.76% is above the market average (~0.35%), justified if the strategy is specialized.
Track Record
Launched in 2010-03-11, this fund has 16 years of history, long and reliable track record.
Risk Profile
High risk, suited for long-term investors comfortable with volatility.
Performance
Returns Summary
| Period | Ann. Return | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Month (est.) | – | +6.7% |
| 3 Months (est.) | – | +21.4% |
| 6 Months (est.) | – | +47.4% |
| YTD (est.) | – | +38.1% |
| 1 Year | +117.1% | +117.1% |
| 3 Years | +77.9% | +462.9% |
| 5 Years | +16.3% | +112.7% |
| Since inception (16y) | +70.4% | +506900.6% |
Key Facts
Fund Profile
Themes & Zones
Holdings
Risk
How to Buy This ETF
Select your country in the menu to see available brokers and wrappers.
About this ETF
The Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares tracks the ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged index. It is managed by Direxion using synthetic replication and follows a distributing distribution policy. The fund is denominated in USD and domiciled in US. It has a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.76%.
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Frequently asked questions
What do SOXL's 0.76% charges actually cost?
They are taken from the fund's value continuously and never billed separately: on £1,000 invested that is about £7.60 a year and roughly £76 over ten years at a constant amount. That is the only cost of the fund itself. Your broker's commission and the spread between buying and selling price come on top, and they weigh most on small frequent purchases.
What currency risk comes with SOXL?
The fund is denominated in USD, but the trading currency is not the risk: what counts is the currency in which the companies held earn their revenue. A euro-based investor therefore carries the gap between the euro and those currencies, and that gap appears in no return published in local currency. A hedged share class answers a different question, at a cost that varies with the interest rate gap.
How do you buy SOXL, and on which venue?
Through any broker that lists ISIN US25459W7345. The same strategy often exists in several share classes with different fees and distribution policies, and what counts is the class you buy rather than the one you read about: check the ISIN, not the name. A limit order avoids paying the spread of a thin order book, particularly outside the trading hours of the underlying markets.
Is SOXL genuinely diversified?
Less so than the number of holdings suggests. ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged weights its constituents by market capitalisation, so the largest companies make up a share of the fund far above their number, and that concentration deepens without any rule changing. The useful check is the weight of the top ten holdings, published monthly by Direxion: that figure says how many companies the outcome actually depends on.
What should you re-check on SOXL once a year?
Three things, none of which depends on the market. The ongoing charge, which an issuer revises without notice and whose gap to a competitor can invert. The tracking difference, the only figure that says whether replication stays faithful. And the methodology of ICE Semiconductor 3x Leveraged, which can change its selection or weighting rules without the fund's name moving: in that case what you hold has changed with nothing to announce it.
This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Displayed performance is simulated.