Internet and social media exchange traded funds, along with those ETFs focusing on initial public offerings, got some help Wednesday when shares of Twitter surged 20%.
Yelp (NYSE: YELP) chipped in as well with a gain of nearly 9% and plenty of folks are talking about Facebook (NasdaqGS: FB) now having a larger market value than Dow component IBM (NYSE: IBM). Yet the really gem of the Internet stock space going back to 2012 is China’s Vipshop Holdings (NYSE: VIP).
Shares of the online retailer have surged 3,750% since the stock’s March 2012 IPO, confirming Vipshop’s status as a story stock. Earlier this month, California-based ETF Portfolio Management, which has long held a stake in Vipshop said the “stock just delivered a legendary two-year total return of 3,680% and this Chinese online flash sale retailer may just be getting started. We first mentioned VIPS four months ago at $152 per share, and the stock is now trading at $213, up 40% over that period.”
With Wednesday’s close just below $212, Vipshop’s residence well into triple-digit territory makes ETFs an attractive option for investors looking to gain exposure to the stock. Indeed, some ETFs have benefited in significant fashion from Vipshop allocations.
Take the example of the KraneShares CSI China Internet Fund (NasdaqGM: KWEB). KWEB allocated about 5.5% of its weight Vipshop as of July 29. Over the past 90 days, the stock has surged 51%, propelling KWEB to a gain of 20.6% along the way. [China Internet ETF Gains Steam]
KWEB has gotten plenty of notoriety for its volatile, high-flying ways as well as likely being one of the first ETFs that will make room for Alibaba when that company delivers one of the hottest IPOs in recent memory in a few weeks. Alibaba or not, KWEB is getting a Vipshop boost and that is what matters now. [Alibaba Pop for China Internet ETF]
Vipshop is also the largest holding in the Guggenhiem China Small Cap ETF (NYSEArca: HAO), an ETF that has climbed 6% in the past month. Vipshop commands 2% of HAO’s total weight, but at a market value of almost $12 billion, how long the stock remains part of a small-cap ETF is up for debate.