ETF Evaluator:
Global X Social Media ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Communications Over the Last Year
| 75.7% | State Street® SPDR® S&P® Telecom ETF (XTL) |
| 40.7% | iShares US Telecommunications ETF (IYZ) |
| 16.6% | Global X PureCap MSCI Comct Svcs ETF (GXPC) |
| 6.9% | Fidelity Disruptive Communications ETF (FDCF) |
| 5.6% | Fidelity Metaverse ETF (FMET) |
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Risk
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ETF Details
Global X Social Media ETF Overview
Global X Social Media ETF (SOCL) is a passively managed Sector Equity Communications exchange-traded fund (ETF). Global X Funds launched the ETF in 2011.
The investment seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive Social Media Total Return Index.
The fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in the securities of the underlying index and in American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts based on the securities in the underlying index. The underlying index tracks the equity performance of the largest and most liquid companies involved in the social media industry, including companies that provide social networking, file sharing, and other web-based media applications. The fund is non-diversified.
About Global X Social Media ETF (SOCL)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 7.92 years: Nam To (2018) and Wayne Xie (2019). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Solactive Social Media TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Global X Social Media ETF has 49 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 69.3% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Global X Social Media ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. Global X Social Media ETF has 54.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 45.7% There is 54.1% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Global X Social Media ETF has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $90 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Communications category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
SOCL Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Global X Social Media ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Communications category. Global X Social Media ETF has an expense ratio of 0.65%, which is 56% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Global X Social Media ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 9%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 36% for the Communications category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Global X Social Media ETF returned 4.0%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Communications category had an average return of 0.8%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Global X Social Media ETF has a trailing yield of 0.47%, which is below the 0.95% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income semi-annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Global X Social Media ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -17.2%, 13.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned -16.9% over the past year (grade of F), 4.4% over the past three years (grade of F) and -6.9% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 7.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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SOCL Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| SOCL Return (NAV) | 4.0% | -0.3% | -16.9% | 4.4% | -6.9% | 7.9% |
| SOCL Return (Price) | 3.8% | -1.3% | -17.1% | 4.1% | -7.0% | 7.9% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.276% | 1.038% | 0.147% | 0.317% | 0.052% | 0.052% |
| Communications Avg | 0.8% | -2.8% | 2.6% | 15.7% | 4.0% | 9.4% |
| SOCL Grade (NAV) | A | C | F | F | F | D |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 3.3% | 2.5% | -19.5% | -11.4% | -10.9% | -1.4% |
| SOCL Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
SOCL Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| SOCL Return (NAV) | -17.2% | 30.1% | 5.9% | 30.9% | -42.3% | -12.8% | 78.2% | 25.2% | -16.0% | 54.7% | 8.7% |
| SOCL Return (Price) | -17.5% | 31.0% | 5.1% | 31.1% | -42.2% | -12.8% | 78.3% | 25.7% | -16.4% | 54.7% | 9.0% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.019% | 0.033% | -0.135% | 0.005% | -0.001% | 0.003% | 0.002% | 2.0% | 2.2% | -0.1% | 3.4% |
| Communications Avg | -4.0% | 27.4% | 24.2% | 28.0% | -35.6% | 6.9% | 48.0% | 24.4% | -11.9% | 15.4% | 17.9% |
| SOCL Grade (NAV) | F | A | F | C | F | F | B | C | D | A | F |
| +/- Category | -13.1% | 2.7% | -18.3% | 2.9% | -6.7% | -19.7% | 30.1% | 0.8% | -4.2% | 39.3% | -9.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.23 |
| R-Squared: | 52% |
| Standard Deviation: | 21.6% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.18 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.76 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.5% |
| Total Assets: | $ 91 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 91 Mil |
| Turnover: | 9.8% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.65% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI ACWI NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Semi-Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 7.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): To Nam (2018), Xie Wayne (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 49 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 69.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 54.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 45.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 54.1% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.1% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Global X Funds |
| Phone Number: | 888-493-8631 |
| Website: | www.globalxfunds.com |
| Inception Date: | November 14, 2011 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.65% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.42% |
