At a glance
BOTT charges 0.35% a year, below the 0.64% average of the 6 funds most like it (the cheapest of 7). It has $63.4M in assets, the 7th largest of that group; it paid 0.16% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, annual. Over the past year it returned −10.9% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 6th of those 7 funds. Its ten largest positions make up 53.6% of the fund, out of 31 in all.
The short version
Themes Robotics & Automation ETF (BOTT) is an index fund that tracks the Solactive Global Humanoid Robotics Index, a basket of about 30 companies that make humanoid, service and industrial robots or the parts and AI inside them. Its 0.35% expense ratio is the lowest of the seven robotics funds compared here. It also leans heavily on China: Chinese stocks were about half its assets as of June 30, 2026.
Price history
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BOTT -10.9% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOTT official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +54.45% | — | — | — | +37.86% |
| BOTT price data to Oct 27, 2026 | -11.2% | -10.9% | — | — | — | +18.4% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, BOTT returned -10.9%, 6th of 7 among similar funds.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2025 (+55.6%); its best was 2025 (+55.6%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 43.6% (Jan 22, 2026 to Oct 16, 2026), not yet recovered.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | -11.2% | — |
| 2025 | +55.6% | +54.45% |
| 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 | $0.0600 |
What's inside
As of Jun 30, 2026, the fund held 31 securities; the ten largest made up 53.64% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Leader Harmonious Drive System | 8.83% | |
| Zhejiang Hechuan Technology Co | 5.80% | |
| Teradyne Inc | 5.36% | |
| EFORT Intelligent Robot Co Ltd | 5.20% | |
| Tesla Inc | 5.08% | |
| MDA Space Ltd | 4.81% | |
| Ningbo PIA Automation Holding | 4.75% | |
| Estun Automation Co Ltd | 4.73% | |
| NVIDIA Corp | 4.54% | |
| Yijiahe Technology Co Ltd | 4.54% | |
| Richtech Robotics Inc | 4.43% | |
| UBTech Robotics Corp Ltd | 4.01% | |
| Palladyne AI Corp | 3.95% | |
| Rainbow Robotics | 3.59% | |
| Ecovacs Robotics Co Ltd | 3.50% |
By country
China 49.84%United States 25.83%South Korea 13.12%Japan 6.22%Canada 4.81%By asset type
Stocks 99.81%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jun 30, 2026, investors added a net $30.7M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +14.39%, +4.18%, -6.12%.
How it works
BOTT is passively managed, which means it copies an index rather than relying on a manager's stock picks. The index is the Solactive Global Humanoid Robotics Index, run by Solactive AG. Solactive is independent of the fund's adviser, Themes Management Company. The fund's January 27, 2026 prospectus uses the name Themes Humanoid Robotics ETF. To qualify, a company needs a primary listing in China, South Korea or a developed market, and its shares must trade at least $1 million a day on average.
Solactive then runs ARTIS, its natural language processing software, which reads news, business profiles and company publications. ARTIS scores each company on how much it is exposed to five areas: humanoid and service robots, industrial and autonomous robots, assistive and wearable robots, AI for robots, and the motors, joints and actuators that make robots move. A company must earn at least 50% of its revenue from these areas. The 30 highest scorers make up the index.
The index rebalances on the first Wednesday of February, May, August and November. At each rebalance, any weight above 4.5% is trimmed and spread across the other holdings. Between rebalances, weights move with prices. As of June 30, 2026, Leader Harmonious Drive Systems made up 8.8% of the fund. The prospectus reports portfolio turnover of 197%, meaning the fund replaced roughly twice its holdings in a year. That is high for an index fund and can add trading costs that the expense ratio doesn't show.
What it really costs
- BOTT charges 0.35% a year, versus an average of 0.64% for the similar funds below (1st of 7, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $36 in the first year and $443 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOTT | $36 | $113 | $197 | $443 |
In a retirement portfolio
BOTT is a narrow, volatile theme fund with about half its assets in Chinese stocks, so it may fit only as a small add-on to a broader portfolio.
BOTT's record is too short to show how it holds up in a market crisis. It launched on April 22, 2024, after the 2008, 2020 and 2022 downturns. Its only full calendar year, 2025, returned 54.45%. It then fell 43.6% between January 22 and October 16, 2026, and had not recovered as of October 27, 2026. Its one-year beta of 1.93 means it has moved almost twice as much as the broad market. A retiree forced to sell in a year like 2026 would lock in a deep loss. Income is minimal: the yield was 0.16% as of October 27, 2026, paid once a year. Costs are low for the theme. In the SEC's standard example, a $10,000 investment costs $36 in the first year and $443 over 10 years. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want a small slice of robotics stocks at 0.35% a year, below the 0.64% average of similar robotics funds.
- People comfortable with emerging-market risk: about 50% of assets were in China and 13% in South Korea as of June 30, 2026.
- Long-term holders who can sit through steep drops, like the 43.6% fall from January to October 2026, without needing to sell.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees who want income: the yield was 0.16% as of October 27, 2026, paid just once a year.
- Investors who want a long track record. BOTT launched in April 2024 and has not been through a full bear market.
- Anyone wary of small funds: net assets were about $63 million as of June 30, 2026, the smallest of the seven robotics funds compared.
Close alternatives
Matched by closest holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports (no similar fund shares 20% or more of its holdings).
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOTT this fund | — | 0.35% | $63.4M | -10.9% | — |
| ARKQ ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF | 14% | 0.75% | $1.86B | -3.5% | +35.9% |
| FBOT Fidelity Disruptive Automation ETF | 12% | 0.5% | $218.1M | +12.8% | +23.1% |
| IQM Franklin Intelligent Machines ETF | 10% | 0.5% | $117.6M | +5.2% | +33.4% |
| BOTZ Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence… | 10% | 0.68% | $3.44B | -11.9% | +14.8% |
| ROBO ROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF | 7% | 0.95% | $1.99B | +10.3% | +19.7% |
| IBOT Vaneck Robotics ETF | 7% | 0.47% | $97.9M | +20.5% | +27.1% |
Questions investors ask
Is BOTT a good ETF for retirement?
For most retirement portfolios, BOTT works only as a small, higher-risk add-on. It holds about 30 robotics stocks, roughly half of them Chinese. It fell 43.6% between January 22 and October 16, 2026, and had not recovered as of October 27, 2026. It yields just 0.16% and pays once a year. Its 0.35% fee is low, but it is too volatile and too narrow to sit at the center of a retirement plan.
What's the difference between BOTT and ARKQ?
BOTT charges less, is much smaller and holds more Chinese stocks. Its expense ratio is 0.35%, against 0.75% for ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (ARKQ). ARKQ had about $1.86 billion in net assets as of July 31, 2026, while BOTT had about $63 million as of June 30, 2026. Only about 14% of their holdings overlap. Over the year to October 27, 2026, BOTT returned -10.9% and ARKQ -3.5%.
Does BOTT pay a dividend?
Yes, but the payout is very small. BOTT pays once a year. Over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, it paid about $0.06 per share, a yield of 0.16%. Most of the robotics companies it owns put their cash into research and growth rather than dividends. The fund is built for potential price gains, not income.
What are BOTT's top holdings?
As of June 30, 2026, BOTT's largest holdings were Leader Harmonious Drive Systems (8.8%), Zhejiang Hechuan Technology (5.8%), Teradyne (5.4%), EFORT Intelligent Robot (5.2%) and Tesla (5.1%). MDA Space, Ningbo PIA Automation, Estun Automation, NVIDIA and Yijiahe Technology completed the top 10, which made up about 54% of the fund. By country, China was about 50%, the US 26%, South Korea 13%, Japan 6% and Canada 5%.
Is BOTT cheaper than BOTZ?
Yes. BOTT's expense ratio is 0.35%, compared with 0.68% for Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ). In the SEC's standard $10,000 example, BOTT costs $36 in the first year. The two funds share only about 10% of their holdings, so they give quite different exposure. BOTZ is far larger, with about $3.4 billion in net assets as of August 31, 2026. Their one-year returns were similar: -10.9% for BOTT and -11.9% for BOTZ through October 27, 2026.