PILL: DIREXION DAILY PHARMACEUTICAL & MEDICAL BULL 3X SHARES
What this ETF is trying to do
The Direxion Daily Pharmaceutical & Medical Bull 3X Shares (PILL) is a leveraged ETF. This means it uses financial tools to try and multiply the daily returns of pharmaceutical and medical companies. Specifically, it aims for 3X the daily performance of its target area.
What the numbers show
As of October 6, 2026, the share price is $14.28.
The ETF has seen significant growth recently:
• Year-to-Date (YTD): The price return is approximately 16.10%, while the total return is approximately 16.34%.
• One Year: The price return is approximately 68.99%, and the total return is approximately 69.78%.
• Three Year: The price return is approximately 111.87%, and the total return is approximately 118.46%.
To understand the difference, price return only looks at the change in the share price. Total return includes both the share-price change and the distributions paid out to investors.
For example, the estimated price from roughly one year ago was $8.45. If an investor had put $10,000 into the ETF based on that estimated price, the price-only growth (68.99%) would have increased that amount to approximately $16,899.
Income and distribution explanation
This ETF pays distributions, usually every quarter. Over the last 12 months, it has made 4 payments. The distribution yield is approximately 0.41%.
It is important for beginners to know that a distribution yield is not the same as a total return. While distributions provide cash income, they do not guarantee that the original investment value will stay the same.
NAV erosion explanation
"NAV erosion" happens when the value of an ETF's underlying assets drops over time, often causing the share price to fall even if the market seems flat.
For this ETF, the erosion-risk score is 100, and the erosion severity is labeled as "good." The data indicates that no price erosion has been detected, and the severe erosion-risk flag is false.
Top Holdings
The portfolio is partial and can change over time. As of October 7, 2026, the top holdings include:
• SPSIPH Swap Asset Leg: 73.88%
• Goldman Finl SQ Trsry Inst 506: 7.17%
• Cash: 1.48%
• Dreyfus Govt Cash Man Ins: 1.11%
• Amrx: 0.54%
Pros
• Strong price and total returns over the last one and three years.
• No detected NAV erosion according to the erosion-risk score.
Cons
• The five-year total return is negative, at approximately -10.90%.
• The distribution yield is very low compared to the overall price movement.
Beginner takeaway
PILL is a high-power tool because it is leveraged. While it has shown strong growth over the last three years, its five-year total return is negative. This shows that high returns in the short term do not always mean the same results over a longer period. Always remember that a high distribution yield alone can be misleading and does not guarantee the safety of your principal investment.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SPSIPH SWAP ASSET LEG | n/a | 73.88% |
| 2 | GOLDMAN FINL SQ TRSRY INST 506 | n/a | 7.17% |
| 3 | CASH | n/a | 1.48% |
| 4 | DREYFUS GOVT CASH MAN INS | n/a | 1.11% |
| 5 | n/a | AMRX | 0.54% |
| 6 | XERIS BIOPHARMA HOLDINGS INC | XERS | 0.53% |
| 7 | ANI PHARMACEUTICALS INC | ANIP | 0.52% |
| 8 | VERADERMICS INC | MANE | 0.52% |
| 9 | EDGEWISE THERAPEUTICS INC | EWTX | 0.48% |
| 10 | ELI LILLY AND CO | LLY | 0.48% |