Is it too late to join the Semis party?
Key points
- The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) has rebounded strongly, with the SMH Optix 50-day moving average breaking above 45% while the ETF remains above its 200-day moving average, a setup that historically boasts a 76% win rate over the following week.
- Driven by heavyweight constituents, SMH recently hit a two-month high (without breaching its three-month high); however, immediate forward returns from this specific setup are historically unimpressive, barely outperforming a coin flip.
- Patience is the key: if an investor waits one month after the signal and SMH posts a positive return, the subsequent one-month win rate surges to 93%, with an average one-year return of 11.5%.
SMH Optix has reversed from a low level…
On Tuesday, driven by robust gains in technology stocks and chipmakers, the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 Index surged to an all-time high, as investors turned their attention to this week's highly anticipated summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) has recently trended upward alongside the broader U.S. semiconductor sector, reflecting a general recovery in market risk appetite. The chart below highlights all dates when the SMH Optix 50-day moving average broke upward through 45% while SMH was also abo

