Traders Stuffed a Record $9.5B Into Leveraged ETFs as Stocks Fell
US leveraged ETFs sucked in $9.5 billion during the week ending October 16 — the biggest weekly haul on record, according to The Kobeissi Letter. The flood came as markets slid, with the 3x semiconductor fund SOXL alone grabbing $7 billion. Traders are leaning hard into borrowed risk right when it hurts most.
Investors didn't flinch into the selloff — they doubled down. US leveraged ETFs drew $9.5 billion in inflows in the week ending October 16, the largest weekly intake since records began in 2006, per The Kobeissi Letter. That single week more than doubled the old high-water mark of $4.5 billion set in 2024.
The stampede ran straight through the most aggressive corners of the market. SOXL, the 3x leveraged long semiconductor ETF, pulled in $7.0 billion — its biggest week ever. TQQQ, the 3x leveraged long Nasdaq 100 fund, added another $1.3 billion.
For scale, the flip side has never been this dramatic either: the sharpest weekly exit on record was a $7.5 billion outflow in late 2025. The fresh $9.5 billion haul beats that by $2 billion, and it landed in a week when equity prices were heading the other way.
That's the tension worth watching. Buying triple-leveraged exposure into a decline is a bet on a fast bounce — enviable if it lands, punishing if the dip keeps dipping, since these funds magnify daily moves in both directions. For now, the crowd is loudly choosing leverage over the sidelines.
TopicsThe Kobeissi Letter · SOXL · TQQQ · US leveraged ETFs · Nasdaq 100 · Semiconductor ETF
Source: x.com
Written by Paparazzi with AI. Not financial advice.