iShares Semiconductor ETF Surges 11% in September Amid AI-Driven Optimism
The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) gained over 11% in September, driven by positive sentiment around Meta Platforms' new Muse AI personal agent. The development signaled growing demand for semiconductors used in agentic AI systems like CPUs and memory chips. Most major chip stocks within the ETF saw strong gains last month, with Intel rising 34%, AMD up 30%, and Micron climbing 11%. Despite a Federal Reserve rate hike of 25 basis points—typically unfavorable for growth sectors—the semiconductor sector continued to rally. Concerns about AI safety raised by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei did not deter the upward trend. In early October, chip stocks rose further after Micron reported strong demand in memory markets through at least 2028 and a weaker-than-expected employment report reduced expectations for another rate hike.
Tickers: $AMD $AVGO $INTC $META $MU $NVDA $SOXX
Topics: AI adoption ETF performance semiconductors