At a glance
AIBU charges 0.96% a year. It has $23.0M in assets; it paid 1.6% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, annual. Over the past year it returned +7.3% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%). Its ten largest positions make up 50.2% of the fund, out of 31 in all.
The short version
Direxion Daily AI and Big Data Bull 2X Shares (AIBU) is a leveraged ETF that seeks twice the daily return of the Solactive US AI & Big Data Index, which picks 30 U.S.-listed AI and data stocks such as Microsoft, Amazon and Nvidia. Because its leverage resets every trading day, results over weeks or months can stray far from 2x the index. It costs 0.96% a year and is built for short-term trading.
Price history
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AIBU +7.3% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIBU official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +41.98% | — | — | — | +54.72% |
| AIBU price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +34.3% | +7.3% | — | — | — | +48.7% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, AIBU returned +7.3%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2025 (+42.2%); its best was 2025 (+42.2%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 51.2% (Feb 18, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025), recovered by Jul 9, 2025.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +34.3% | — |
| 2025 | +42.2% | +41.98% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Before this security existed |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1.1200 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, most of the fund sat in cash, Treasury bills and money-market holdings (21.64% of net assets), with its exposure coming from 4 swap and futures positions rather than from owning the stocks outright.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| MICROSOFT CORP | 6.74% | |
| AMAZON.COM INC | 6.28% | |
| ALPHABET INC | 5.87% | |
| TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD | 5.80% | |
| NVIDIA CORP | 5.66% | |
| APPLE INC | 5.29% | |
| SNOWFLAKE INC | 3.74% | |
| INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP | 3.61% | |
| BROADCOM INC | 3.60% | |
| HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY | 3.59% | |
| ORACLE CORP | 3.52% | |
| SYNOPSYS INC | 3.47% | |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC | 3.29% | |
| INTEL CORP | 3.25% | |
| PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC | 3.19% |
By country
United States 70.66%Taiwan 5.8%Cayman Islands 0.53%Israel 0.1%United Kingdom 0.07%By asset type
Stocks 77.16%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $6.2M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +32.88%, -11.71%, -9.69%.
How it works
AIBU's benchmark is the Solactive US AI & Big Data Index, built by Solactive AG. Solactive's ARTIS software uses natural language processing (computer reading of text) to scan annual reports, business descriptions and news for AI and big data keywords, scoring companies by keyword hits rather than past profits. To qualify, U.S.-listed companies must earn at least half their revenue from AI, data analytics, natural language processing or AI-driven services. The top 30 scorers make the index, which is rebalanced twice a year. As of December 31, 2025, it was concentrated in technology, communication services and semiconductors.
For 2x exposure, the fund holds index stocks directly and adds swaps and futures (contracts tied to the index's return). As of July 31, 2026, stocks made up about 77% of its $23 million in net assets and cash about 22%. The largest were Microsoft (6.7%), Amazon (6.3%), Alphabet (5.9%), Taiwan Semiconductor (5.8%) and Nvidia (5.7%).
The fund aims for 2x only over a single trading day. At each market close, Rafferty Asset Management resets exposure, adding after up days and trimming after down days, which drives heavy trading (113% portfolio turnover). Because each day's gain or loss builds on the last, longer-term results can differ sharply from twice the index, usually for the worse in choppy markets.
What it really costs
- AIBU charges 0.96% a year.
- Of that, 0.75% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- The fee includes a 0.09% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $98 in the first year and $1,274 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIBU | $98 | $325 | $571 | $1,274 |
Structure and tax notes
- Resets its exposure every day. Over periods longer than a day, compounding means returns can differ sharply from 2× the index — usually worse in choppy markets. Built for short-term trading, not buy-and-hold.
In a retirement portfolio
The prospectus says AIBU seeks twice its index's return only for a single trading day, and daily resets make results over longer periods unpredictable.
AIBU offers amplified one-day exposure to AI stocks rather than a long-term holding. It launched on May 15, 2024, so it has no record from the 2008 financial crisis, the 2020 COVID crash or the 2022 bear market. Its only full calendar year, 2025, returned 41.98%, so its "worst year" was a gain. That year also brought its deepest drop: 51.2% from February 18 to April 8, 2025. It regained its peak by July 9, about three months later, but someone needing cash near the low could have been down about half.
As of October 27, 2026, the 1-year return was only 7.3% despite a 34.3% gain year to date. The trailing 12-month yield was about 1.6%, paid annually, and costs are 0.96% a year. Past results don't predict future ones, and a retirement plan needs to look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Active traders who want a one-day, double-sized bet on AI stocks like Microsoft, Nvidia and Palantir, and who watch positions daily.
- Traders comfortable with swings like the 51.2% drop from February to April 2025, and with the risk of losing their entire stake.
- Traders who want an AI index picked by Solactive's ARTIS text-scanning software, and who accept 0.96% in annual costs.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees and long-term holders: the fund seeks 2x only for a single day, and longer-term returns can drift far from double the index.
- Income seekers: the trailing yield was about 1.6% as of October 27, 2026, paid just once a year.
- Anyone seeking broad diversification: about half the fund sat in 10 stocks as of July 31, 2026, concentrated in tech and chipmakers.
Close alternatives
Matched by leveraged/inverse funds on the same index (the index could not be identified from the name).
No close alternatives found.
Questions investors ask
Is AIBU a good long-term investment?
It isn't built for one. The prospectus says AIBU seeks 200% of its index's return for a single trading day only. An ordinary index fund aims to match its index over any period. AIBU instead resets its exposure every day, so gains and losses compound, and longer-term results can land far above or below twice the index. They are usually worse in choppy markets. The prospectus warns that investors could lose all their money.
What stocks are in AIBU?
As of July 31, 2026, AIBU held 31 AI and big data stocks plus cash and swaps on the Solactive US AI & Big Data Index. The largest positions were Microsoft (6.7% of net assets), Amazon (6.3%), Alphabet (5.9%), Taiwan Semiconductor (5.8%), Nvidia (5.7%) and Apple (5.3%). Snowflake, IBM, Broadcom, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Oracle followed at about 3.5% to 3.7% each. The top 10 made up about 50% of assets, and cash about 22%.
What is AIBU's expense ratio?
AIBU's expense ratio, the yearly fee taken from fund assets, is 0.96% according to the prospectus filed February 26, 2026. That includes a 0.75% management fee. In the SEC's standard example, a $10,000 investment earning 5% a year would pay about $98 in costs over one year, $325 over three years, $571 over five and $1,274 over 10, if cashed out at the end of each period. Trading costs from its 113% portfolio turnover come on top.
How has AIBU performed?
Strong gains so far, with very large swings. Per its prospectus, AIBU returned 41.98% in 2025 and averaged 54.72% a year from its May 2024 launch through December 31, 2025. Its strongest quarter gained 54.64% (ended June 30, 2025), right after its weakest lost 23.46% (ended March 31, 2025). Measured by share price, it was up 34.3% year to date through October 27, 2026, but only 7.3% over the prior 12 months. Past results don't predict future ones.
Does AIBU pay a dividend?
Yes, once a year. AIBU paid $1.06 per share over the 12 months through October 27, 2026, a trailing yield of about 1.6%. That income is small next to the fund's price swings: its deepest drop was 51.2%, from February 18 to April 8, 2025. Income isn't the point of the fund, which is built to deliver twice the daily return of its AI index.