The AI Boom Is Bigger Than Many on Wall Street Thought. Trade it with 3X Leverage Using AIQU and AIQD.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly scaled into one of the largest and fastest-moving capital deployment cycles in financial market history. Trillions of dollars are flowing into hardware, software, and data centers at a pace the market has never seen. Goldman Sachs projects AI-related spending will top $800 billion this year. Morgan Stanley estimates nearly $3 trillion in global data center construction through 2028. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has even predicted that annual AI spending will reach $4 trillion per year by the end of the decade.

At the center of that buildout are some of the most volatile stocks in recent market history.

Every major AI earnings report, product release, and capital expenditure announcement has the potential to move the market. That volatility is only growing as AI spending scales. The companies building and enabling this infrastructure are repriced constantly as investors debate the potential outcomes of market positioning. 

For sophisticated traders looking to capture those swings, the traditional tools, complex options strategies, and the need to manage multiple positions simultaneously add friction to an already fast-moving environment. 

MicroSectors, a product line from REX Shares issued by Bank of Montreal, launched the MicroSectors 3X Long Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQU) and the MicroSectors -3X Short Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQD) specifically for this moment: two exchange-traded notes (ETNs) offering 3X daily leveraged exposure to 25 of the AI sector's leading stocks, long or short, in a single trade.

The Underlying Index: a Dynamic Basket of AI Leaders

The MicroSectors 3X Long Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQU) and the MicroSectors -3X Short Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQD) both track the BITA AI Leaders Select NTR US Index, a rules-based index of 25 U.S.-listed companies involved in AI from both an application and infrastructure perspective.

The index divides its holdings into two categories:

• Purity Leaders carry 40% aggregate weight and represent companies with the highest direct revenue exposure to AI products, services, and activities. As of the most recent rebalancing, the top Purity Leaders include CrowdStrike (CRWD)  (11.89%), Nvidia (NVDA) (8.78%), Palantir (PLTR) (7.86%), Astera Labs (ALAB) (7.81%), and Datadog (DDOG) (6.89%).
• Key Enablers carry 60% aggregate weight, equally distributed among 20 larger, more diversified companies that are direct enablers of AI infrastructure and applications. This group includes Micron (MU), AMD (AMD), IBM (IBM), ServiceNow (NOW), Qualcomm (QCOM), Intel (INTC), Microsoft (MSFT), Meta (META), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Broadcom (AVGO), and others.

The index rebalances monthly and reconstitutes quarterly, keeping exposure aligned with the leading AI names as the sector evolves.

AIQU and AIQD: 3X Daily Leveraged ETNs Built for AI Volatility

The MicroSectors 3X Long Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQU) and the MicroSectors -3X Short Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQD) each seek 3X or -3X of the daily performance of the BITA AI Leaders Select NTR US Index, before fees and charges.

AIQU (3X Long):

• When the index rises 1%, AIQU targets a 3% gain (before fees)
• When the index falls 1%, AIQU targets a 3% decline (before fees)
• Provides sophisticated traders with a bullish short-term view on AI infrastructure and application leaders

AIQD (-3X Short):

• When the index falls 1%, AIQD targets a 3% gain (before fees)
• When the index rises 1%, AIQD targets a 3% decline (before fees)
• Provides sophisticated traders with a bearish or hedging view on the AI sector

Both ETNs reset leverage exposure daily. The 3X target applies only to single-day index movements. Holding either ETN for multiple days introduces compounding effects that cause performance to diverge from a simple 3X multiple of the index return. These are short-term trading vehicles, not buy-and-hold investments, and require active monitoring.

These ETNs are unsecured debt obligations issued by the Bank of Montreal and their performance tracks an index but carries the credit risk of Bank of Montreal.

The Benefits of AIQU & AIQD

Simplified Execution  (Single-Ticker Access): Gaining exposure to a specific pocket of the market typically requires managing multiple positions, which introduces friction, tracking errors, and transaction costs. AIQU and AIQD package exposure to 25 leading AI companies into a single ticker, allowing traders to express a comprehensive long or short thesis on the entire sector with one order.

Clean Short Exposure: Shorting individual AI stocks can be difficult and expensive, with high borrow rates, margin requirements, and the risk of significant losses. AIQD provides built-in inverse exposure at -3X without requiring traders to short any individual equity on margin. Because sophisticated traders are buying an ETN rather than shorting shares, the maximum loss is limited to the capital invested.

Trade AI Volatility With AIQU and AIQD

With $3 trillion in AI infrastructure investment still ahead and the debate over monetization, disruption, and geopolitical competition actively driving market movements, the AI sector is likely to experience significant volatility for the foreseeable future. 

AI stocks may move violently around specific, predictable events, such as Nvidia's GTC, major cloud provider earnings, or next-generation chip architecture rollouts. 

For sophisticated traders with a directional view on where the AI buildout takes these companies next, the MicroSectors 3X Long Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQU) and the MicroSectors -3X Short Artificial Intelligence ETN (AIQD) offer amplified, single-ticker exposure to the sector’s volatility. Whether executing a long or short position, these instruments provide sophisticated traders with an aggressive, focused vehicle to capture rapid daily price action during high-stakes market windows without the friction of managing multiple individual positions.

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