SMH vs SOXX ETF Comparison

Set your investment period and amount to compare the returns, growth and risk of two ETFs.

•••
A SMH
SMH 100%
B SOXX
SOXX 100%
Start date:, End date: $10,000 Dividends reinvested

Data as of 2026-10-23

Key comparison

Compare growth, loss risk, and cost in the same rows first.

6 essential metrics
Portfolio overview and core performance comparison
Portfolio A · SMH 100%Portfolio B · SOXX 100%
CAGR +32.9%
CAGR +30.5%
Final Balance $217,184
Final Balance $177,320
Volatility +28.4%
Volatility +30.2%
MDD · daily -45.3%
MDD · daily -45.8%
Sharpe Ratio 1.13
Sharpe Ratio 1.02
Weighted expense ratio 0.35%
Weighted expense ratio 0.33%

Result summary

SMH had the higher CAGR. SMH had the smaller maximum drawdown.

  • SMH: CAGR 32.94%, daily maximum drawdown -45.30%.
  • SOXX: CAGR 30.47%, daily maximum drawdown -45.75%.

Key points in this comparison

  • In 2024, returns were SMH +39.1% and SOXX +12.9%, a gap of 26.2 percentage points.
  • Across 10 complete calendar years, SMH had the higher return in 6 and SOXX in 4.
  • The monthly-return correlation is 0.99: the two portfolios moved almost in step.
Period & basis

2016-01-04 – 2026-10-23

Historical results for this period.

Cumulative performance

Compare growth paths and cumulative returns over the same period.

Portfolio value

Compare portfolio value and cumulative contributions on the same dates.

A vs B Cumulative Return Comparison
ETFTotal ReturnCAGRTotal invested
A+2071.8%+32.9%10000
B+1673.2%+30.5%10000
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Risk and recovery

Compare the volatility taken for return with the loss path investors actually experienced.

Risk vs Return

Lower-left is safer, upper-right is higher risk/reward. Ideal: upper-left.

Hover over a point to review CAGR, volatility, Sharpe, and maximum drawdown together.
Risk vs Return
Compared portfoliosCAGRVolatility (Ann.)Sharpe RatioMDD · daily
A32.94%28.39%1.13-45.3%
B30.47%30.17%1.02-45.75%

Drawdown paths

Compare how far each portfolio's daily closing value fell from its prior peak over the same period.

Drawdown paths
Compared portfoliosMDD · daily
A-45.3
B-45.75
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Returns and major declines

Compare annual returns and daily peak, trough, and recovery dates.

Annual Returns Comparison

Check consistency across annual, quarterly, decade, and rolling windows.

Annual Returns Comparison · Annual
MetricAB
2026· Partial year+69.1%+89.2%
2025+49.2%+40.7%
2024+39.1%+12.9%
2023+73.4%+67.1%
2022-33.5%-35.1%
2021+42.1%+44.1%
2020+55.5%+52.7%
2019+64.4%+62.4%
2018-9.0%-6.5%
2017+38.4%+39.8%
2016+35.5%+38.4%

Worst Drawdown Periods

A · Worst Drawdown Periods
Peak dateTrough dateRecovery dateDrawdown
2021-12-272022-10-142023-07-13-45.3%
2024-07-102025-04-082025-07-02-35.8%
2020-02-192020-03-202020-06-05-33.6%
B · Worst Drawdown Periods
Peak dateTrough dateRecovery dateDrawdown
2021-12-272022-10-142023-12-13-45.8%
2024-07-102025-04-082025-09-18-41.4%
2020-02-192020-03-202020-06-05-34.3%

Stress Test: Market Crashes

Return of each ETF during major historical market drawdown events
Event A B
Q4 2018 Selloff-23.3%-22.7%
COVID-19 Crash-31.2%-31.9%
2022 Rate Hike Bear Market-44.4%-44.7%

Questions about these results

How did the same initial investment grow?

From 2016-01-04 to 2026-10-23, an initial $10,000 ended at $217,184 for SMH and $177,320 for SOXX. Annualized returns were 32.94% and 30.47%, respectively.

When were the deepest drawdowns and recoveries?

SMH: peak 2021-12-27, trough 2022-10-14, drawdown -45.3%, recovery 2023-07-13. SOXX: peak 2021-12-27, trough 2022-10-14, drawdown -45.8%, recovery 2023-12-13.

How did the results differ during market crises?

During COVID-19 Crash, returns were -31.2% for SMH and -31.9% for SOXX. During Q4 2018 Selloff, returns were -23.3% for SMH and -22.7% for SOXX.

What are the expense ratios and annual costs?

Weighted expense ratios are 0.35% for SMH and 0.33% for SOXX. Applied to the initial $10,000, estimated annual costs are $35 and $33.

What are the dividend yields and their basis?

The yields are 0.21% for SMH and 0.26% for SOXX. They use distributions from the last 365 days divided by the last closing price and do not predict future distributions.

About the ETFs & sources

SMH SMH

SOXX An ETF investing in semiconductor equities.

Shared calculation settings

Comparison settings

Trading cost: 0 bps per side · personal taxes excluded · see the methodology for dividend calculation Calculation Methodology