Aims for three times the opposite of the daily return of an index of US technology companies, using swaps, so it rises on days tech stocks fall. Because it resets daily, longer-term returns can differ a lot from that multiple.
TECS, the Direxion Daily Technology Bear 3X Shares, is a $69 million ETF whose main story is the AI compute core. Over the past year it returned −72.6%, against +16.8% for broad US ETFs. Figures to October 2, 2026; past performance, not a recommendation.
The narrative it carries
This is its only narrative.
The AI compute core →
The chips, memory and data centers AI runs on, and the big technology companies that build and buy them.
The band is where this narrative’s level sits among the 22 this week. QUIET means less talked about, not falling.
| # | ETF | SHARE | ASSETS | 1 YEAR | COST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VGT | 23.8% | $147.56bn | +36.0% | 0.09% |
| 2 | XLK | 20.5% | $127.30bn | +40.4% | 0.08% |
| 3 | SMH | 12.1% | $74.88bn | +87.0% | 0.35% |
| 4 | SOXX | 7.8% | $48.43bn | +109.7% | 0.33% |
| 5 | IYW | 4.3% | $26.53bn | +36.0% | 0.37% |
| 391 other ETFs | 31.5% |
Share is each ETF’s slice of the capital carrying this narrative. 1 year is market price total return; cost is the expense ratio. See all 396 ETFs on the narrative page →
FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN
| 1M | 3M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y* | 5Y* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TECS | −23.0% | −31.4% | −71.1% | −72.6% | −67.3% | −58.4% |
| The AI compute coreits narrative | +9.5% | +8.7% | +47.8% | +50.2% | +41.6% | +24.5% |
| The marketbroad US ETFs | +0.8% | +2.6% | +14.6% | +16.8% | +22.9% | +12.9% |
1M, 3M, 1Y, 3Y, 5Y: one month to five years. YTD: year to date. * A year, annualised. A dash means the ETF has not traded for the whole period. Since it started trading on December 30, 2008: −58.4% a year.
$10,000 invested October 31, 2016
Year by year
Total return in each calendar year; this year is year to date. A year appears only if TECS traded for all of it.
Total return on the market price, with each distribution reinvested on its ex-date. Not the NAV return the issuer publishes; the two differ when the ETF trades above or below the value of its holdings. The narrative is the asset-weighted return of the unlevered ETFs that carry it. The market is the asset-weighted return of broad US index ETFs. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN
How closely it moves
TECS tends to move against the market. When the market has moved 1%, TECS has tended to move 4.32% the other way.
TECS tends to move against the AI compute core. When the AI compute core has moved 1%, TECS has tended to move 2.79% the other way.
Weekly returns over 157 weeks. The narrative is measured without TECS in it, so it is not compared with itself.
ETFs it moves most and least like
Correlation of weekly returns over the last 3 years, among unlevered ETFs StoryVector covers.
Where it sits in The AI compute core
Each dot is one of 77 unlevered ETFs whose main narrative is the AI compute core, placed by its return (up) and how much it swung (right) over the last year. TECS is levered or inverse, so it is shown against them but not counted among them.
Risk
Cost against its peers
TECS is levered or inverse, so it is shown against the unlevered ETFs but not ranked among them.
How it is built
Seeks 3x the inverse of the daily return of its exposure, and gets its exposure through swaps. It carries the narrative but does not count toward Share of Narrative, because inverse exposure is excluded.
Narrative exposure
Common questions
What story is TECS selling?
TECS’s main story is the AI compute core, which covers the chips, memory and data centers AI runs on, and the big technology companies that build and buy them.
Which ETFs compete with TECS?
The ETFs whose weekly returns move most like TECS’s over the past 3 years are VIXY (0.68), BTAL (0.67) and TAIL (0.67).
How has TECS performed against its story?
Over the past year TECS returned −72.6%, the ETFs carrying the AI compute core +50.2% and broad US ETFs +16.8%, to October 2, 2026. Its weekly returns have a correlation of -0.98 with the story. Past performance only.
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