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Defiance ETFs & Futurum Equities Launch RKNG, the Defiance Retail Kings ETF Tracking Retail-Sentiment-Driven Market Leaders

globenewswire.com
MU Included in the Defiance Retail Kings ETF (RKNG) which focuses on companies driven by strong retail investor participation and momentum, indicating positive sentiment towards its potential. VRT Listed as a holding in the new RKNG ETF, suggesting it's identified as a leader with strong retail investor conviction and momentum in the AI Compute & Data Centers sector. IREN Part of the RKNG ETF's portfolio, indicating that the fund's model identifies it as a company benefiting from significant bullish retail investor interest and market momentum. CIFR Selected for the RKNG ETF, implying it's recognized for strong retail investor engagement and price momentum within the AI Compute & Data Centers theme. WULF Included in the RKNG ETF's holdings, suggesting it's seen as a company with strong retail investor conviction and positive market momentum in its sector. AMD As a holding in the RKNG ETF, AMD is recognized for strong retail investor participation and momentum, positioning it as a market leader in Semiconductors & Equipment. INTC Included in the RKNG ETF, indicating that the fund's strategy identifies Intel as a company with significant retail investor conviction and positive market momentum. LRCX Selected for the RKNG ETF, suggesting it's a company benefiting from strong retail investor sentiment and momentum in the Semiconductors & Equipment sector. NVTS As a holding in the RKNG ETF, Novanta is identified as a company with strong retail investor conviction and positive momentum in its industry. ASTS Included in the RKNG ETF, indicating it's recognized for strong retail investor participation and momentum within the Space, Defense & Physical AI theme. RKLB Selected for the RKNG ETF, suggesting it's a company with significant retail investor conviction and positive market momentum in the space sector. JOBY As a holding in the RKNG ETF, Joby Aviation is identified as a company benefiting from strong retail investor interest and momentum in its innovative sector. KTOS Included in the RKNG ETF, indicating it's recognized for strong retail investor conviction and positive market momentum in the defense and AI space. ONDS Part of the RKNG ETF's portfolio, suggesting it's a company with strong retail investor engagement and momentum within the Space, Defense & Physical AI theme. SYM Selected for the RKNG ETF, indicating it's a company with significant retail investor conviction and positive momentum, particularly in AI and automation. HOOD As a holding in the RKNG ETF, Robinhood is recognized for its role in retail investor participation and momentum, fitting the fund's strategy. OPEN Included in the RKNG ETF, suggesting it's a company with strong retail investor conviction and positive momentum within the financial platforms sector. CVNA Selected for the RKNG ETF, indicating it's a company benefiting from significant retail investor interest and momentum, despite past volatility. LMND As a holding in the RKNG ETF, Lemonade is identified as a company with strong retail investor conviction and positive momentum in the financial technology space. PGY Included in the RKNG ETF, suggesting it's a company with strong retail investor engagement and momentum within the financial platforms sector. OKLO Selected for the RKNG ETF, indicating it's a company with significant retail investor conviction and positive momentum in the energy sector. EOSE As a holding in the RKNG ETF, Eos Energy is recognized for strong retail investor participation and momentum in the energy storage and materials sector. UUUU Included in the RKNG ETF, suggesting it's a company with strong retail investor conviction and positive momentum in the energy materials sector. MP Part of the RKNG ETF's portfolio, indicating it's a company identified for strong retail investor engagement and momentum in the materials sector. QS Selected for the RKNG ETF, suggesting it's a company with significant retail investor conviction and positive momentum in the advanced energy materials sector. PLTR As a holding in the RKNG ETF, Palantir is recognized for strong retail investor participation and momentum, particularly in AI and healthcare applications. TMDX Included in the RKNG ETF, indicating it's a company with strong retail investor conviction and positive momentum in the AI Software & Healthcare sector. QURE Selected for the RKNG ETF, suggesting it's a company benefiting from significant retail investor interest and momentum in the gene therapy and healthcare space. QBTS As a holding in the RKNG ETF, QBTS is identified as a company with strong retail investor conviction and positive momentum in its niche within AI and healthcare.

MIAMI, Jan. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Defiance ETFs today announced the launch of the Defiance Retail Kings ETF (NASDAQ: RKNG), an actively managed ETF developed in collaboration with Futurum Equities that is designed to capture stocks where surging bullish retail investor participation is driving momentum, leadership, and price discovery.

Retail investors are no longer reacting to markets. They are shaping them. RKNG is built to systematically identify and invest in companies where retail conviction, digital engagement, and price momentum converge, often ahead of broader institutional participation.

“Retail investors have fundamentally changed how markets work,” said Sylvia Jablonski, Chief Investment Officer of Defiance ETFs. “RKNG is designed for this new reality. We focus on where retail participation is strongest and combine it with momentum and innovation signals to build a portfolio positioned for leadership, not lagging indicators.”

A New Framework for Retail-Driven Markets

RKNG represents a differentiated approach to thematic and momentum investing. The fund leverages Futurum Equities’ proprietary retail sentiment model to identify companies exhibiting elevated bullish retail participation, digital engagement, and investor conviction.

This retail intelligence is combined with Defiance’s momentum scoring framework, which evaluates price persistence, relative strength, volatility-adjusted returns, and trend confirmation to construct a concentrated portfolio of stocks demonstrating sustained leadership.

The result is a focused portfolio of “Retail Kings,” companies positioned at the intersection of retail conviction, structural innovation, and market momentum.

“We built $RKNG to reflect how the real economy is being rebuilt right now where AI, energy, defense, healthcare & space infrastructure are converging. Working with Defiance on RKNG lets us package that thesis into a product designed for how capital will actually be deployed over the next decade,” said Shay Boloor, Chief Market Strategist of Futurum Equities.

Why RKNG Stands Apart

The Retail Kings Portfolio

At launch, RKNG holds approximately 30 companies, equally weighted and rebalanced quarterly across six innovation-driven themes, representing approximately 100% of the fund’s net assets. A complete list of holdings is available here. Holdings are subject to change.

AI Compute & Data Centers

MU, NBIS, VRT, IREN, CIFR, WULF

Semiconductors & Equipment

AMD, INTC, LRCX, NVTS

Space, Defense & Physical AI

ASTS, RKLB, JOBY, KTOS, ONDS, SYM

Financial Platforms

HOOD, OPEN, CVNA, LMND, PGY

Energy & Materials

OKLO, EOSE, UUUU, MP, QS

AI Software & Healthcare

PLTR, TMDX, QURE, QBTS

“This is not a meme ETF. These are companies with real technology, real revenue, and real growth narratives. What makes them Retail Kings is that individual investors often recognize their potential early. RKNG is designed to identify that leadership before it becomes consensus,” Jablonski said.

X Social Media Handle: https://x.com/RetailKingsETF

About Defiance ETFs

Founded in 2018, Defiance is a leading ETF issuer with over 60+ thematic, income, and leveraged ETFs.

About Futurum Equities

Futurum Equities develops proprietary analytics and sentiment models designed to identify emerging investment opportunities driven by retail participation and digital engagement. As the sponsor of RKNG, Futurum brings its retail intelligence capabilities to the ETF structure in partnership with Defiance.

Important Disclosures

The Fund’s investment sponsor is Futurum Equities. Defiance ETFs LLC is the ETF adviser. (“Defiance ETFs LLC” or the “Adviser”).

The Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other important information about the investment company. Please read the prospectus and / or summary prospectus carefully before investing. Hard copies can be requested by calling 833.333.9383.

Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. As an ETF, the Fund may trade at a premium or discount to NAV. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. A portfolio concentrated in certain sectors, industries, investment styles, or themes may be subject to a higher degree of risk.

Principal Risks of Investing in RKNG

Market Risk. The Fund’s investments may decline in value due to general market conditions, economic events, geopolitical developments, or factors affecting specific industries or issuers.

Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed and may not meet its investment objective due to the Adviser’s investment decisions, portfolio construction process, or security selection.

Retail Sentiment Risk. The Fund’s strategy relies in part on proprietary models measuring retail investor participation, sentiment, and digital engagement. These signals may change rapidly, may not accurately predict future performance, and may result in increased volatility.

Momentum Investing Risk. Momentum-based strategies may experience periods of underperformance, particularly during market reversals or periods of elevated volatility, when securities with strong recent performance decline rapidly.

Sector and Theme Concentration Risk. Because the Fund may concentrate its investments in certain sectors or themes—including technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, space and defense, financial platforms, energy innovation, and healthcare—it is more vulnerable to adverse developments affecting those areas.

Technology and Innovation Risk. Companies involved in advanced technologies may face rapid innovation cycles, intense competition, product obsolescence, cybersecurity risks, and evolving regulatory environments.

New Fund Risk. As a newly organized fund, the Fund has no operating history, which may limit investors’ ability to evaluate performance or management effectiveness.

Liquidity Risk. Shares may trade at prices other than NAV, and certain underlying holdings may experience reduced liquidity, particularly during periods of market stress.

Volatility Risk. The Fund may experience significant price volatility due to concentrated exposure, sentiment-driven trading, and rapid changes in investor behavior.

Third-Party Data Risk. The Fund relies on third-party data and analytics, including retail sentiment and market data, which may be incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, or subject to disruption.

Operational Risk. Failures or errors by service providers, systems, or counterparties may adversely affect the Fund’s operations or performance.

Total return represents changes to the NAV and accounts for distributions from the Fund.

Note: The Fund is not suitable for all investors and is designed for those who understand active management, momentum-driven strategies, thematic exposures, and the risks associated with retail-investor-influenced market dynamics.

Distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

Media Contact:

Sylvia Jablonski

info@defianceetfs.com

833.333.9383

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c5b330f0-7417-419d-bf53-9582b0a6f8d9