September Reset Funds Dominate Buffer ETF Inflows, Led by PSEP

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Weekly Channel Summary

The Buffer ETF channel, encompassing 539 products from 21 issuers, closed the week with total assets under management of $98.68 billion. The channel attracted $568 million in net new assets over the past five days. This brings year-to-date inflows to $11.88 billion and one-year inflows to $16.43 billion.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Performance across Buffer ETF categories was mixed, with Crypto leading gains at 0.98% for the week. In contrast, the Commodity category was the weakest performer, declining by 0.76%. The largest category, Equity, posted a modest gain of 0.22%, contributing to its year-to-date return of 8.26%.

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

The Buffer channel registered net inflows of $568 million for the week, driven almost entirely by the Equity asset class which gathered $570 million. Among outcome period strategies, funds with a September reset date were the clear leaders, attracting $445 million in new assets. Conversely, funds with a June reset period experienced the largest outflows, shedding $97 million.

Flows by Asset Class

Asset Class Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Equity 516 $98.46B $570M $1,642M $4,976M $11,931M $16,452M
Commodity 1 $55M $1M $3M $5M $2M -$1M
Fixed Income 2 $13M $0M -$5M -$13M -$19M -$35M
Crypto 20 $157M -$2M -$16M -$32M -$35M $12M

Flows by Outcome Period / Strategy

Outcome Period / Strategy Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Buffer Reset: September 30 $5.39B $445M $399M $276M -$332M $638M
Buffer Reset: Laddered 29 $18.65B $124M $546M $1,463M $3,522M $4,712M
Buffer Reset: August 35 $4.76B $75M $762M $751M $303M $321M
Buffer Reset: Quarterly 42 $9.18B $46M $154M $800M $2,113M $3,125M
Buffer Reset: July 54 $7.04B $38M $292M $1,352M $595M $105M
Buffer Reset: Semi-Annually 10 $1.20B $7M $10M $337M $28M $29M
Buffer Reset: November 26 $4.08B $4M -$60M -$300M -$428M $695M
Buffer Reset: February 25 $4.91B $4M -$29M -$51M $1,023M $532M
Buffer Reset: May 34 $5.02B $3M -$76M $143M $1,831M $1,696M
Buffer Reset: December 34 $6.20B $2M -$80M -$362M -$376M -$104M
Buffer Reset: March 31 $5.06B $2M -$97M -$100M $478M $334M
Buffer Reset: Daily 4 $10M $0M $1M $2M $5M -$4M
Buffer Reset: Dynamic 1 $40M $0M $1M $2M -$3M -$1M
Buffer Reset: April 45 $5.69B -$7M $44M $185M $703M $540M
Buffer Reset: October 44 $5.55B -$20M -$74M -$279M -$1,093M $705M
Buffer Reset: January 44 $7.05B -$27M -$54M -$332M $1,133M $772M
Buffer Reset: Dynamic 11 $2.36B -$34M -$22M -$51M $353M $611M
Buffer Reset: June 40 $6.48B -$97M -$94M $1,100M $2,023M $1,723M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

Leading individual fund flows, the Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – September (PSEP) brought in a substantial $179 million. On the other end of the spectrum, the Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – June (PJUN) saw the week’s largest redemption of $80 million. The MRP SynthEquity ETF (SNTH) followed with the second-largest outflow of $35 million.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
PSEP Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – September $179M
ZSEP Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF – 1 Yr September $61M
BUFR FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF $47M
DDFS Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF – September $43M
BSEP Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – September $36M
Outflows
PJUN Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – June -$80M
SNTH MRP SynthEquity ETF -$35M
IJAN Innovator International Developed Power Buffer ETF – January -$26M
POCT Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – October -$15M
IJUN Innovator International Developed Power Buffer ETF- June -$15M

Issuer League Table Update

FT Vest and Innovator continue to dominate the Buffer ETF landscape, commanding 48.92% and 36.40% of the market share, respectively. This week, Innovator led all issuers in asset gathering, pulling in $351 million in net new capital. Meanwhile, Measured Risk Portfolios experienced the largest net outflows, with redemptions totaling $35 million.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Issuer Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
FT Vest 122 $48.27B 48.92%
Innovator 162 $35.92B 36.40%
Allianz 59 $5.96B 6.04%
PGIM 47 $1.75B 1.78%
AB Funds 3 $1.66B 1.68%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Issuer 5-Day Flow
Inflows
Innovator $351M
FT Vest $186M
PGIM $31M
Outflows
Measured Risk Portfolios -$35M
Corgi -$2M
iShares -$1M

For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Buffer ETF reports in the right side panel of this page.

Disclosures

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. All investments, including ETFs, involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investors should consider their investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing.

This analysis was developed by the team at ETF Action. We leverage advanced AI tools to assist in the drafting and refinement of our content, based on our expert prompts, direction, and final review.