SOXX vs VUG: how much do they really overlap?
SOXX (iShares Semiconductor ETF, tracking the NYSE Semiconductor) and VUG (Vanguard Growth ETF, tracking the CRSP US Large Cap Growth) overlap by roughly 20% by weight. 7 of SOXX's top 10 holdings also appear in VUG. A 50/50 blend of the two behaves like about 29 equally-weighted bets (diversification grade C). In short, the two funds have only a small shared core — they mostly hold different things and are largely complementary.
The same companies, in both funds
These 8 holdings appear in both SOXX and VUG. The weight columns show how much of each fund each name represents.
| Holding | in SOXX | in VUG |
|---|---|---|
| NVDA NVIDIA CORP | 6.81% | 13.10% |
| AVGO BROADCOM INC | 6.08% | 5.17% |
| AMD ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC | 8.09% | 2.30% |
| LRCX LAM RESEARCH CORP | 4.89% | 1.09% |
| KLAC KLA CORP | 5.64% | 0.70% |
| MRVL MARVELL TECHNOLOGY INC | 4.88% | 0.51% |
| AMAT APPLIED MATERIAL INC | 5.77% | 0.50% |
| TXN TEXAS INSTRUMENT INC | 3.50% | 0.39% |
Only in SOXX
iShares Semiconductor ETF — semiconductors. Its biggest holdings that VUG doesn’t have:
| MU MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC | 8.54% |
| INTC INTEL CORPORATION | 6.33% |
| TSM TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING | 4.26% |
| ADI ANALOG DEVICES INC | 3.45% |
| TER TERADYNE INC | 3.36% |
| NXPI NXP SEMICONDUCTORS NV | 3.14% |
| ALAB ASTERA LABS INC | 3.02% |
| MPWR MONOLITHIC POWER SYSTEMS INC | 2.93% |
Only in VUG
Vanguard Growth ETF — US large-cap growth. Its biggest holdings that SOXX doesn’t have:
| AAPL Apple Inc. | 12.32% |
| MSFT Microsoft Corp. | 8.99% |
| GOOGL Alphabet Inc. Class A | 5.95% |
| AMZN Amazon.com Inc. | 4.85% |
| GOOG Alphabet Inc. Class C | 4.68% |
| META Facebook Inc. Class A | 3.73% |
| TSLA Tesla Inc. | 3.31% |
| LLY Eli Lilly & Co. | 2.53% |
So — mostly different. Should you hold both?
SOXX and VUG have only a small shared core — they mostly hold different things and are largely complementary. Held together they genuinely broaden your exposure — a 50/50 blend reaches ~29 effective positions (grade C), because they hold largely different securities.
Holdings as of — SOXX: Jun 30, 2026 (iShares (BlackRock)); VUG: May 31, 2026 (Vanguard). Refreshed monthly. Overlap is measured across each fund’s largest holdings (top 50); the diffuse long tail barely moves the math.
See this for YOUR whole portfolio, free →SOXX vs VUG — FAQ
- How much do SOXX and VUG overlap?
- SOXX and VUG overlap by approximately 20% measured by portfolio weight — that is the share of the smaller fund's holdings (by weight) that also sit inside the other. 7 of SOXX's 10 largest holdings are also held by VUG. They share 8 of their listed top holdings in total.
- Is it redundant to hold both SOXX and VUG?
- Because they have only a small shared core — they mostly hold different things and are largely complementary, holding both is not redundant — each fund covers largely different holdings, so together they broaden your exposure. A 50/50 blend has an effective 29 positions and a C diversification grade.
- What does VUG hold that SOXX doesn't?
- VUG's largest holdings that SOXX doesn't hold include AAPL, MSFT, GOOGL, AMZN, GOOG. Its category is US large-cap growth, versus SOXX's semiconductors.
- Which is more concentrated, SOXX or VUG?
- SOXX's top 10 holdings are 61% of its listed weight; VUG's are 73%. The more concentrated fund leans harder on its largest names.