Tech and Growth ETFs See Significant Outflows Amid Mixed Performance

ETF Daily Fund Outflow ReportDate: January 15, 2026

Market Overview

Today’s net fund outflows highlight a mixed landscape of investor activity, with the top 10 ETFs spanning broad equity, technology, and fixed-income exposures. Outflows are concentrated in large-cap equity and sector-specific funds, particularly those tied to growth-oriented themes and technology. While some funds, such as leveraged semiconductor ETFs and Bitcoin-linked products, show strong price gains, others with growth equity or value tilts reflect weaker year-to-date performance. The data does not clearly signal a broad sector rotation but may indicate selective profit-taking or shifting risk preferences in high-growth areas.

ETF Highlights

SPY - SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust As the largest S&P 500-tracking ETF with $715.48 billion in assets, SPY’s $1.36 billion outflow may reflect cautious positioning amid a 1.51% intraday decline. Its broad exposure to large-cap U.S. equities makes it a barometer for market sentiment, though the outflow does not necessarily signal a broader equity selloff.

QQQ - Invesco QQQ Trust The Nasdaq-100-focused QQQ saw $595.45 million in outflows despite a 1.22% price rise. With $411.47 billion in AUM, the fund’s tech-heavy tilt may have drawn profit-taking after a strong year-to-date performance, though its 1.22% gain suggests underlying sector resilience.

IWF - iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF The $501.11 million outflow from IWF, which tracks growth-oriented large-cap U.S. stocks, could signal reduced appetite for high-multiple equities. Its -0.56% YTD performance and $124.03 billion AUM position it as a key indicator of growth stock sentiment, though the outflow remains proportionate to its size.

IWD - iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF Despite a 4.21% intraday gain, IWD experienced $468.11 million in outflows. The value-focused ETF’s 4.21% YTD performance contrasts with its growth counterpart’s underperformance, but the outflow may reflect continued underweighting of value stocks relative to growth.

LQD - iShares iBoxx USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF The $442.38 million outflow from LQD, a $28.75 billion corporate bond ETF, may indicate shifting fixed-income allocations. Its 0.64% price gain suggests stable demand for investment-grade debt, but the outflow could signal a rotation toward shorter-duration or alternative bond strategies.

SOXL - Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares SOXL’s $399.38 million outflow contrasts with a 38.19% intraday surge, the largest move among the top 10.

As a leveraged semiconductor play with $13.27 billion AUM, the outflow may reflect profit-taking after a volatile move, though its 38.19% gain underscores short-term speculative activity.

XLK - State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF The $396.34 million outflow from XLK, a broad tech sector ETF with $93.01 billion AUM, occurred alongside a 1.03% price rise. Its 1.03% YTD performance suggests ongoing interest in tech, but the outflow may indicate selective reduction in sector exposure amid mixed momentum.

IBIT - iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF IBIT’s $251.97 million outflow followed an 8.76% price jump, the second-largest gain in the group. As the largest Bitcoin-linked ETF with $75.54 billion AUM, the outflow could signal profit-taking in crypto-exposure strategies, though its strong performance highlights continued speculative demand.

CGGO - Capital Group Global Growth Equity ETF The $246.75 million outflow from CGGO, a global growth equity fund with $8.68 billion AUM, occurred despite a 4.16% price rise. Its 4.16% YTD performance suggests selective interest in international growth, but the outflow may reflect caution amid global equity volatility.

SOXX - iShares Semiconductor ETF SOXX’s $246.70 million outflow coincided with an 11.98% price surge, the third-largest move. As a semiconductor-focused ETF with $19.75 billion AUM, the outflow may indicate profit-taking in a sector experiencing sharp near-term gains, though its 11.98% rise underscores sector-specific momentum.

Notable Trends / Surprises

The top 10 outflows feature multiple technology-linked ETFs (SPY, QQQ, XLK, SOXL, SOXX) and a Bitcoin product (IBIT), suggesting selective profit-taking in high-growth and speculative areas. The contrast between leveraged semiconductor funds (SOXL, SOXX) and broader tech ETFs (QQQ, XLK) highlights divergent positioning within the sector. Additionally, growth equity funds (IWF, CGGO) and value-oriented products (IWD) show mixed YTD performance, though both categories see outflows, indicating no clear growth-versus-value rotation.

Conclusion

Today’s outflows may indicate a tactical rebalancing in high-growth and technology-exposed ETFs, with leveraged and thematic products showing outsized price movements. The mixed YTD performances and large AUMs of the affected funds suggest that investor positioning reflects both sector-specific momentum and cautious adjustments to risk. While the data does not point to a broad market shift, the concentration in tech and growth themes could signal a temporary pullback in speculative or extended positions.