US Chip Stocks Surge, Chinese Tech QDII Funds Ride the Wave
Keywords: US chip stocks, QDII, semiconductors, AI, Nasdaq, Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, tech funds, computing infrastructure, semiconductor supply chain
Introduction
Global markets always have moments when geopolitical events quickly transmit into asset volatility. The US stock trading on June 18 was a typical example: after the US and Iran reached a ceasefire memorandum, market risk appetite rapidly heated up, and tech and semiconductor stocks immediately attracted buying. In particular, the news of resumed shipping in the Strait of Hormuz further boosted investor confidence in easing risks of energy and trade supply chain disruptions.
Against this backdrop, US chip stocks strengthened across the board, while domestic investors' products heavily allocated to semiconductors and AI infrastructure through QDII funds also delivered impressive gains. It is worth noting that although ordinary investors cannot directly buy the hottest individual stocks on Wall Street, they can still indirectly share in this wave through global investment funds.
Market Risk Appetite Rebounds, US Chip Stocks Soar
On June 18, all three major US stock indexes closed higher. The Nasdaq rose 1.91%, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index surged 6.42%. This not only reflected expectations of a stabilizing geopolitical environment but also indicated that funds are again favoring high-growth assets, especially technology and semiconductor sectors.
Individual stock performance was even more striking. Intel rose over 10%, Micron Technology gained more than 8%, and TSMC and Qualcomm both rose over 6%. Among them, SanDisk surged over 11%, pushing its market value above $320 billion, with cumulative gains of over 800% year-to-date. This sends a signal: the market is repricing companies at the core of a new investment cycle in the technology industry—storage, processors, storage devices, and AI infrastructure.
On a broader level, this rally is not just a short-term reaction to news but a growing consensus that AI is no longer just a future story or a passing fad but has entered a real implementation phase, generating huge infrastructure investment needs. Under this logic, semiconductor companies have become the 'track' for the AI growth wave.
Tech QDII Funds Benefiting from the Global Semiconductor Wave
For domestic investors, directly participating in US chip stocks is not easy. But through QDII funds, capital can go to global markets and share in the gains of international tech assets. Since the beginning of the year, many QDII funds heavily weighted in semiconductors, AI, and computing infrastructure have delivered impressive returns.
Topping the performance chart is the Huatai-PineBridge China-South Korea Semiconductor ETF, with a year-to-date return of 118%. Its feeder funds have also recorded gains of over 116% in multiple share classes. The fund's advantage lies in its exposure to the global semiconductor supply chain: it holds Korean companies like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, as well as domestic semiconductor manufacturing, equipment, and design companies. This combination benefits from both the recovery in memory demand and the semiconductor cycle repair.
Another product with year-to-date returns exceeding 100% is the E Fund Global Growth Select USD A Class Accumulation. This fund not only focuses on semiconductors but also extends to AI infrastructure, holding positions in leading global chipmakers as well as companies in the optical module and server infrastructure supply chain. By precisely targeting 'AI infrastructure,' it captures medium- to long-term investment trends rather than just chasing short-term market gains.
Similarly, Tiantianhong Global High-End Manufacturing A has also achieved returns of over 100% through heavy allocation to semiconductors and computing platforms. Its portfolio includes giants like Nvidia, Broadcom, and TSMC, extending to optical communications and optical modules. This approach is clear: as AI develops, value is not only concentrated in central processors but extends to storage, data transmission, servers, and data center networking.
Additionally, ChinaAMC Mobile Internet USD Cash, despite its name suggesting a mobile internet theme, actually focuses on the tech hardware chain, including semiconductors and optical communications. The fund benefits from the AI infrastructure investment wave, showing that in this phase, 'internet' is no longer just about software and applications but increasingly relies on powerful underlying hardware platforms.
Common Logic of the Biggest Winners: Betting on Computing Demand
The most noteworthy point in this year's QDII rankings is that although fund names differ and investment approaches vary, the core focus is increasingly converging. Whether it's Samsung, SK Hynix, TSMC, Nvidia, or Broadcom, these stocks belong to a common theme: computing demand in the AI era.
The boom in generative AI models, cloud computing, data centers, and high-speed transmission infrastructure has made semiconductors a strategic sector. In the past, chip investment was typically tied to consumer cycles of smartphones, PCs, and new energy vehicles; today, growth drivers have shifted to AI servers, high-performance memory, GPUs, optical networks, and data center cooling systems.
This is why investors are no longer simply asking 'Is AI a bubble?' as they did a year ago. The more realistic question is: Who will provide AI infrastructure, and who will benefit from such investment demand over the long term? QDII funds heavily weighted in semiconductors have provided an early answer, and this year's performance proves that this strategy has shown clear results.
Big Opportunities Come with Big Risks
However, high returns do not mean low risk. Semiconductors are a typical cyclical industry, heavily influenced by growth expectations, tech company capital expenditures, and international trade changes. When valuations are already high, even small changes in demand expectations or policy environment can trigger sharp stock price volatility.
For QDII funds, risks also come from exchange rates, conversion costs, and overseas market volatility. Investors should not simply extrapolate year-to-date returns into the future. More importantly, they need to consider three factors: portfolio quality, industry concentration, and the ability to navigate the tech cycle.
In other words, today's winning funds are not just lucky or well-timed; they have built matching portfolio structures based on long-term trends. But once the trend is fully priced in, expectation management becomes crucial. Ordinary investors need to allocate capital rationally, avoid chasing past performance, and be mindful of correction risks.
Conclusion
The strong rally in US chip stocks after the easing of Middle East tensions is not just a day of heightened sentiment but also a reminder to the market: global capital continues to chase core companies in the AI and digital infrastructure wave. For domestic investors, QDII funds focused on semiconductors and tech have become a 'window' to observe this trend.
From Samsung, SK Hynix, to TSMC, Nvidia, and Broadcom, the common thread behind these big winners is only one: computing demand is growing rapidly and still has huge room for expansion. However, like any major tech cycle, opportunities always come with volatility. Therefore, fund selection should be rational, capital allocation restrained, and investment horizon lengthened to truly turn a 'wave' into sustainable returns.
