IWF vs SMH: 33% overlap

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF and VanEck Semiconductor ETF share 32.9% of their portfolios by weight — computed as Σ min(wA, wB) over every holding both funds own.

Different holding dates. These holdings were published about 4 months apart — SMH as of 2026-03-31, the rest through 2026-07-23. Each fund is compared using its most recent file, so any trading in between shows up as a difference.

Hold both, 50/50
1.7Effective Funds

You would hold two tickers and get the diversification of 1.7. Two funds that shared nothing would score 2.0; two identical funds score 1.0.

Overlap
32.9%
IWF expense ratio
0.19%
SMH expense ratio
0.35%

Top shared holdings

IWF and SMH hold 16 of the same securities. The ten contributing most to the overlap figure:

Holdingin IWFin SMHΔ
NVDA15.1%19.6%4.5%
AVGO5.7%7.8%2.1%
MU3.5%4.2%0.8%
AMD2.7%4.7%2.0%
AMAT1.4%4.6%3.2%
LRCX1.2%4.6%3.4%
KLAC0.9%4.7%3.9%
TXN0.8%4.6%3.8%
MRVL0.6%2.4%1.8%
CDNS0.3%2.4%2.2%

Where IWF and SMH differ

Sector weights as a share of each fund, ordered by the size of the gap rather than the size of the sector — two funds that overlap heavily still usually diverge somewhere.

SectorIWFSMHΔ
Information Technology55.0%92.8%37.8pp
Communication Services15.7%0.0%+15.7pp
Industrials8.5%0.0%+8.5pp
Consumer Discretionary7.5%0.0%+7.5pp
Unclassified0.0%7.2%7.2pp
Health Care5.6%0.0%+5.6pp
Financials4.7%0.0%+4.7pp
Consumer Staples1.3%0.0%+1.3pp

Δ is IWF minus SMH, in percentage points. Sector data is not published by every issuer, so “Unclassified” is a real category rather than a gap in the table.

What each fund holds alone

Only in IWF
353 positions

67.1% of IWF by weight, held in no part of SMH.

Only in SMH
10 positions

30.9% of SMH by weight, held in no part of IWF.

A large count with a small weight is the usual shape: the positions one fund adds are typically its smallest ones.

Concentration and cost

IWFSMH
Top 10 holdings56.1%72.2%
Positions held37026
Cost per $10,000 held, per year$19$35

Cost is the expense ratio applied to $10,000; it excludes any brokerage commission, bid-ask spread or tax consequence. Figures are facts about the funds, not a suggestion about which to hold.

Frequently asked

How much do IWF and SMH overlap?

IWF and SMH overlap 32.9% by portfolio weight — moderate overlap. They share 16 holdings. The figure comes from current issuer holdings files (IWF as of 2026-07-23, SMH as of 2026-03-31).

How is the overlap between IWF and SMH calculated?

As the sum of the smaller weight in each fund, over every holding both funds own: Σ min(wA, wB). If IWF holds a stock at 6% and SMH holds the same stock at 4%, 4% counts as shared. The result is bounded between 0% and 100%, and it is computed after looking through any fund-of-funds to the underlying holdings.

Is it redundant to hold both IWF and SMH?

That depends on your goals — we state facts, not advice. At 32.9% overlap, each fund still contributes meaningfully distinct exposure.

What does IWF own that SMH doesn't?

IWF holds 370 positions and SMH holds 26; 353 of IWF's positions don't appear in SMH at all, and they are 67.1% of IWF by weight.

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Related comparisons

Sources: issuer holdings files, IWF as of 2026-07-23, SMH as of 2026-03-31. Weights are fractions of each fund. Diagnostics, not advice.