SOXL vs. SSO: What Type of Investor Should Consider These Leveraged ETFs?
Key Points
SOXL’s three-times leverage and semiconductor focus make it far riskier than SSO while also driving much larger recent gains and deeper losses
SOXL trades with higher volatility and a much larger drawdown, but offers greater liquidity and assets under management
SSO tracks the broader S&P 500 with more sector diversification and a higher dividend yield than SOXL
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ProShares - Ultra S&P500 (NYSEMKT:SSO) and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETF (NYSEMKT:SOXL) both use daily leverage resets, but SSO delivers 2x exposure to the S&P 500, while SOXL offers 3x exposure to a concentrated semiconductor portfolio, resulting in sharply different risk profiles and recent returns.
Both funds are designed for traders seeking amplified daily moves, but their underlying indexes and leverage levels set them apart. SSO magnifies the entire S&P 500, giving broad market exposure, while SOXL zeroes in on the semiconductor sector with even more aggressive leverage. This comparison highlights the key differences in cost, risk, performance, and portfolio makeup to help investors weigh which approach could fit their strategy.
Snapshot (Cost & Size)
| Metric | SSO | SOXL |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | ProShares | Direxion |
| Expense ratio | 0.87% | 0.75% |
| 1-yr return (as of 2026-03-11) | 37.3% | 222.2% |
| Dividend yield | 0.6% | 0.3% |
| Beta | 2.01 | 4.52 |
| AUM | $6.5 billion | $12.6 billion |
Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year monthly returns. The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months.
SOXL charges a slightly higher expense ratio than SSO, but both are at the higher end for ETFs. SSO’s yield is notably higher, which may appeal to those seeking a modest income stream from dividends.
Performance & Risk Comparison
| Metric | SSO | SOXL |
|---|---|---|
| Max drawdown (5 y) | -46.77% | -90.51% |
| Growth of $1,000 over 5 years | $2,234 | $1,678 |
SOXL’s triple leverage and sector focus have resulted in extreme volatility, with a five-year drawdown approaching (91%) compared to SSO’s (47%). Despite SOXL’s recent surge, SSO has delivered higher cumulative growth over the past five years, highlighting how leverage can amplify both gains and losses depending on market cycles.
What's Inside
SOXL offers pure-play exposure to the semiconductor industry, tracking a basket of 44 technology stocks. Its top holdings include Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ:MU), Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA), and Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ:AMAT), each making up less than 2% of the portfolio, and the fund has been trading for 16 years. Because SOXL uses daily 3x leverage and resets exposure each day, it is built for short-term trading, not long-term compounding, and is highly sensitive to sector swings.
In contrast, SSO amplifies the S&P 500 using 2x leverage, resulting in exposure to over 500 large-cap U.S. stocks across technology, financials, and communication services. Its largest positions are Nvidia Corp and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), with a more diversified sector mix. Both funds employ daily leverage resets, which can cause returns to diverge from the index over time, especially in volatile conditions.
What This Means for Investors
Both ProShares - Ultra S&P500 (SSO) and Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X ETF (SOXL) deliver heightened exposure to the S&P 500 and semiconductor sector, respectively. Here’s what investors need to know about these two ETFs.
For starters, we must talk about leverage. Both of these funds are highly-leveraged. As a result, they are both highly volatile, and, consequently, not appropriate for every portfolio. What’s more, these ETFs are also designed to provide daily exposure. That means that, over time, the returns of these funds can drift from their respective parent index.
That said, these funds can deliver incredibly amplified rates of return. SOXL, for example, has advanced 72% over the last six months alone.
However, those immense returns do come with risk and cost. As for risk, each of these funds has experienced significant drawdowns over the last five years. SSO’s max drawdown during that stretch was 45%; SOXL’s largest drawdown was 90%. As for costs, both funds have average to slightly above-average fees. SSO has an expense ratio of 0.87%, and SOXL’s expense ratio is 0.75%.
In summary, these two ETFs are not for every investor. Indeed, they’re better suited for those with a very short time horizon and a taste for high-risks and potentially high-rewards.
For more guidance on ETF investing, check out the full guide at this link.
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Jake Lerch has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Applied Materials, Micron Technology, and Nvidia and is short shares of Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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