New York-based investment adviser xETFs has announced the launch of the xETFs Samsung Group ETF, trading under the ticker symbol SMNG. The fund represents the first U.S.-listed exchange-traded fund designed to give investors a single-ticker solution to access a portfolio of companies within the Samsung Group across five primary industries: technology, financials, consumer and service, industrials, and life sciences.

According to the fund's launch details, the three largest initial positions consist of Samsung Electronics and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, each with an initial weighting of 20%, followed by Samsung SDI with a 7.5% weighting. Samsung Electronics maintains a global footprint in smartphones, memory chips, and televisions. Samsung Electro-Mechanics produces advanced package substrates utilized in AI accelerators and high-performance server chips, as well as multilayer ceramic capacitors for various electronics and vehicles. Samsung SDI focuses on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles, along with energy storage systems supporting data centers and power grids.

Johnny Wu, CEO of xETFs, noted that Samsung Group companies represent roughly 33% of the combined KOSPI and KOSDAQ market capitalization, totaling a combined market capitalization of $1.5 trillion. Wu pointed out that because no Samsung Group companies have direct U.S. listings, broad Korea-focused funds often dilute the scope of the group's operations. Kenneth Wong, CIO of xETFs, added that the investment opportunity extends beyond core semiconductors into sectors such as biologics, shipbuilding, consumer spending, and tourism.

Teucrium Investment Advisors, LLC acts as the fund's investment adviser, while WallStreetX ETFs, Inc., doing business as xETFs, serves as the investment sub-adviser. The fund operates as a series of Listed Funds Trust and is distributed by PINE Distributors LLC. Like all exchange-traded funds, SMNG involves investment risks, including possible loss of principal, and is subject to specific risk factors detailed in its prospectus, such as new fund risk, single-country risk, foreign securities risk, and Samsung Group concentration risk.