Friday saw traders swarm around the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SMH),snapping up 372,375 put options. That's a 63% jump from usual 228,494 daily volume. Interest in ETF's performance clearly spiking.
Hedge funds tweaking their positions reflect changes among big investors. AQR Capital Management LLC upped its stake by 4.8% in Q1,adding 109 shares for total of 2,381 shares worth $504,000. Empowered Funds LLC made bigger move, increasing its stake by 32.5% in same period, now holding 11,789 shares valued at $2,493,000 after buying 2,890 more shares.
In Q2, Everck boosted its stake by 28.6%, adding 106 shares worth $133,000. First Trust Advisors LP jumped in with new investment, around $370,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL also acquired new stake, valued about $1,116,000.
VanEck Semiconductor ETF's stock opened at $659.88 Friday. Market cap sits at $76.67 billion with price-to-earnings ratio of 34.83 and beta of 1.72. Last year saw wild swings: 52-week low of $257.12,high of $663.80. Its 50-day average is $551.49,200-day at $445.11.
Launched May 5, 2000, VanEck Semiconductor ETF tracks MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index . It's market-cap-weighted,covering 25 biggest U.S.-listed semiconductor firms. A hot spot for investors chasing semiconductor growth.
Options trading frenzy and hedge fund moves point to a volatile scene for VanEck Semiconductor ETF. As investors grapple with semiconductor market's complexities,all eyes on ETF's path…
