3-month return at 12.24%; ETF ranks No. 1 among thematic peers

Palo Alto, Fortinet among holdings that more than doubled in 6 months

Shinhan Asset Management's SOL US AI Software ETF. [Provided by Shinhan Asset Management]
Shinhan Asset Management's SOL US AI Software ETF. [Provided by Shinhan Asset Management]

Shinhan Asset Management said Friday its SOL US AI Software ETF posted a six-month return of 31.88% as of Thursday.

According to Korea Exchange, the SOL US AI Software ETF ranked first among US AI software-themed ETFs listed in South Korea across three-month, six-month, one-year and year-to-date return categories. Its three-month return stood at 12.24%.

Cybersecurity companies drove the gains as demand for security investment grew amid the spread of AI agents. Over the past six months, major holdings posted returns of 126.85% for CrowdStrike, 121.68% for Palo Alto Networks and 107.53% for Fortinet. The three companies focus on endpoint security, integrated AI security platforms, and network and firewall security, respectively.

"As the center of gravity in AI investment shifts from infrastructure buildout to actual deployment, earnings and share prices across software companies are improving — particularly AI cybersecurity stocks, which are showing clear strength," said Kim Jeong-hyeon, head of the ETF business group at Shinhan Asset Management. "Cybersecurity, which protects data and models, is emerging as a top spending priority within AI software, and the recent performance of SOL US AI Software reflects that trend."

Kim added that the ETF selects companies with genuine monetization capabilities in the AI era as well as those with essential business models such as AI security.

Retail investor inflows have continued into other Shinhan Asset Management ETFs as well. The SOL US Dividend Dow Jones ETF recorded cumulative net purchases by retail investors of 501.4 billion won ($366 million) since its listing, as of Sept. 9. Net assets totaled 1.01 trillion won. Retail investors net-bought 12.3 billion won in the ETF over the past month alone.


hajun825@heraldcorp.com