At a glance
UBOT charges 1.32% a year. It has $23.7M in assets; it paid 1.34% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Over the past year it returned −31.8% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%); over three years it returned +15.6% a year. At its worst it fell 78.0% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and is still below its earlier high.
The short version
Direxion Daily Robotics, Artificial Intelligence & Automation Index Bull 2X Shares (UBOT) is a leveraged ETF that seeks twice the daily return of an Indxx index of robotics and artificial intelligence companies. Its exposure resets daily, so over longer periods results can stray far from twice the index, and losses can be severe: it fell 72.35% in 2022. It costs 1.32% a year and is built for short-term trading rather than long-term holding.
Price history
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UBOT -31.8% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBOT price data to Oct 27, 2026 | -23.5% | -31.8% | +15.6% | -15.3% | — | +1.5% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, UBOT returned -31.8%.
- Its 5-year annualized return was -15.3%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-72.5%); its best was 2023 (+72.5%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 82.9% (Nov 8, 2021 to Oct 14, 2022), not yet recovered.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | -23.4% | — |
| 2025 | +13.4% | +13.19% |
| 2024 | +12.0% | +11.88% |
| 2023 | +72.5% | +72.19% |
| 2022 | -72.5% | -72.35% |
| 2021 | +9.9% | +9.82% |
| 2020 | — | +81.73% |
| 2019 | — | +85.61% |
| 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 | Not in the price data, which starts Jun 2, 2020 |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 78% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 78%, not recovered by the end of the data |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.2000 | |
| 2025 | $0.1900 | -42.4% |
| 2024 | $0.3300 | +153.8% |
| 2023 | $0.1300 | -86.7% |
| 2021 | $0.9800 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, most of the fund sat in cash, Treasury bills and money-market holdings (63.72% of net assets), with its exposure coming from 4 swap and futures positions rather than from owning the stocks outright.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| GLOBAL X ROBOTICS & ARTIFICI | 42.93% |
By country
United States 42.93%By asset type
Stocks 42.93%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $2.6M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +7.93%, -12.07%, -14.98%.
How it works
Indxx, LLC runs UBOT's index. Eligible companies come from developed markets, have a market value of at least $300 million, and average at least $2 million in daily trading over six months. Indxx seeks firms with revenue from industrial robots, drones and unmanned vehicles, non-industrial robots, and artificial intelligence used for data analysis and automation. It picks up to 100 of the largest "pure-play" firms by market value: those earning over 50% of revenue from these areas. As of December 31, 2025, the index held 65 securities, concentrated in industrials and information technology.
UBOT aims for 200% of the index's daily return, before fees. It uses swaps and futures, contracts whose value rises and falls with an underlying asset, and may also hold index stocks or an ETF tracking the index or a similar one. As of July 31, 2026, its largest holding was Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ), at about 43% of net assets, alongside four swaps on BOTZ. About 64% sat in cash and short-term instruments.
At each day's close, the adviser, Rafferty Asset Management, resets exposure, adding after the index rises and trimming after it falls. Over longer periods, daily returns compound, building on one another, so results can differ sharply from 2x the index, usually for the worse in choppy markets.
What it really costs
- UBOT charges 1.32% a year.
- Of that, 0.75% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- The fee includes a 0.03% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $134 in the first year and $1,621 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBOT | $134 | $425 | $736 | $1,621 |
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
Its prospectus says it seeks twice the index's return for a single trading day only, and the daily reset makes results over years hard to predict.
UBOT's history shows the risk. It launched in 2018, so it has no 2008 record. In the quarter ended March 31, 2020, which included the COVID crash, it lost 58.6%. It fell 78% from January 3 to October 12, 2022, and 2022 was its worst calendar year, at -72.35%. Its deepest peak-to-low drop, 82.9% from November 8, 2021 to October 14, 2022, had not been made up as of October 27, 2026. Money withdrawn near a low like that turns a paper loss into a permanent one.
Income is small: the trailing yield, based on the past year's payouts, was 1.34% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly. Costs are high at 1.32% a year, or $134 on $10,000 in the first year under the SEC's standard example. Past results don't predict future ones, and any plan should weigh the whole portfolio, not a single fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Short-term traders seeking twice the daily move of an Indxx robotics and AI index, and who check their positions every day.
- Experienced investors who understand swaps, daily compounding and the prospectus warning that they could lose all of their money.
- Traders who can handle swings like a 58.6% loss in the quarter ended March 31, 2020, then a 105.73% gain the next quarter.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees and long-term savers: UBOT fell 82.9% from November 2021 to October 2022 and had not recovered as of October 27, 2026.
- Investors wanting low costs or dependable income: UBOT charges 1.32% a year, and its trailing yield was just 1.34% as of October 27, 2026.
- Investors wanting robotics and AI stocks without daily leverage; BOTZ, about 43% of UBOT's net assets as of July 31, 2026, is worth comparing.
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 UBOT a good long-term investment?
It isn't designed to be one. UBOT seeks twice its index's return for a single day, and its prospectus says it doesn't pursue that goal over longer periods. Daily compounding can pull multi-year results far from 2x. As of October 27, 2026, its five-year price-based return was -15.3% a year, a 56% cumulative loss. That span included a 72.35% loss in 2022, which the 72.19% gain in 2023 only partly made up.
What's the difference between UBOT and BOTZ?
UBOT adds daily leverage, and BOTZ is one of its building blocks. As of July 31, 2026, UBOT's largest holding was Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ), at about 43% of net assets, alongside four swaps on BOTZ, all aimed at twice the daily return of UBOT's Indxx robotics and AI index. UBOT resets that exposure daily and charges 1.32% a year. Investors wanting the theme without daily leverage may compare BOTZ's own fees and record.
What is UBOT's expense ratio?
UBOT's expense ratio is 1.32% a year, according to its prospectus filed February 26, 2026, including a 0.75% management fee. The SEC's standard example assumes $10,000 invested, a 5% annual return and shares sold at the end of each period. On that basis, costs would total $134 after one year, $425 after three years, $736 after five and $1,621 after ten. Those costs come out of fund assets, so they reduce returns whether UBOT rises or falls.
Does UBOT pay dividends?
Yes, quarterly, but the amounts are small. UBOT paid about $0.26 a share over the year to October 27, 2026, a trailing yield of 1.34%. That income is minor next to the fund's price swings: its price-based return over the same year was -31.8%, and its volatility, a measure of how widely returns swing, was 52.2%. UBOT's goal is twice the index's daily return, not steady income.
Can you lose all your money in UBOT?
Yes. UBOT's prospectus warns that investors could lose all of the money they put in. Leverage magnifies index losses, and the fund may use swaps with a limited number of counterparties, the financial firms on the other side of each contract, which could fail to pay. History shows how deep losses can run: UBOT fell 82.9% from November 8, 2021 to October 14, 2022 and had not regained that peak as of October 27, 2026.