Weekly Channel Summary
The Buffer ETF channel, comprising 537 funds from 20 issuers, closed the week with $97.83 billion in total assets under management. Investors added a net $1.45 billion to the category over the past five days, contributing to a year-to-date inflow of $12.25 billion. Over the last twelve months, the channel has accumulated $16.41 billion in net new assets.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Crypto was the top-performing category, gaining 5.91% for the week, though it remains down 6.77% year-to-date. Commodity funds also posted a strong weekly return of 4.67%. At the other end of the spectrum, the dominant Equity category, which holds the vast majority of channel assets, dipped slightly by 0.38% but maintains a positive 7.72% return for the year.
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Investors poured a net $1.45 billion into Buffer ETFs, with nearly all activity concentrated in the Equity asset class, which collected $1.46 billion. The primary driver of inflows was the August reset period, which attracted an overwhelming $1.445 billion as investors positioned for the new outcome period. In contrast, the March reset period experienced the largest outflows for the week, shedding $79 million.
Flows by Asset Class
| Asset Class | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity | 513 | $97.55B | $1,458M | $2,624M | $5,286M | $12,287M | $16,426M |
| Commodity | 1 | $54M | $0M | $1M | $4M | $0M | -$9M |
| Fixed Income | 2 | $15M | $0M | -$3M | -$14M | -$17M | -$32M |
| Crypto | 20 | $163M | -$3M | -$11M | -$22M | -$25M | $26M |
Flows by Outcome Period / Strategy
| Outcome Period / Strategy | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer Reset: August | 34 | $4.22B | $1,445M | $1,747M | $1,573M | $1,198M | $1,345M |
| Buffer Reset: Laddered | 29 | $18.41B | $155M | $496M | $1,355M | $3,286M | $4,553M |
| Buffer Reset: Quarterly | 41 | $9.12B | $61M | $203M | $821M | $2,065M | $3,137M |
| Buffer Reset: July | 53 | $6.97B | $25M | $369M | $1,148M | $479M | $106M |
| Buffer Reset: April | 45 | $5.67B | $16M | $49M | $156M | $699M | $399M |
| Buffer Reset: Semi-Annually | 10 | $1.18B | $10M | $33M | $63M | $36M | $43M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 11 | $2.36B | $9M | $9M | $2M | $381M | $650M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 1 | $40M | $1M | $1M | -$1M | -$3M | -$1M |
| Buffer Reset: Daily | 4 | $10M | $0M | $1M | $1M | $5M | -$9M |
| Buffer Reset: December | 34 | $6.26B | -$8M | -$46M | -$338M | -$319M | -$96M |
| Buffer Reset: September | 30 | $5.09B | -$9M | -$57M | -$281M | -$774M | $315M |
| Buffer Reset: January | 44 | $7.05B | -$12M | -$44M | -$296M | $1,160M | $436M |
| Buffer Reset: February | 25 | $4.91B | -$12M | -$29M | -$59M | $1,018M | $422M |
| Buffer Reset: November | 26 | $4.12B | -$13M | -$25M | -$276M | -$395M | $688M |
| Buffer Reset: October | 44 | $5.57B | -$13M | -$54M | -$501M | -$1,065M | $636M |
| Buffer Reset: May | 34 | $5.05B | -$47M | -$42M | $152M | $1,854M | $1,699M |
| Buffer Reset: June | 40 | $6.56B | -$75M | $49M | $1,762M | $2,102M | $1,781M |
| Buffer Reset: March | 31 | $5.17B | -$79M | -$49M | -$25M | $519M | $307M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – August (FAUG) single-handedly dominated inflows, attracting an impressive $851 million. On the redemption side, the Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – June (BJUN) saw the largest weekly outflow at $63 million. It was followed by the FT Vest U.S. Equity Dual Directional Buffer ETF – May (DLMY), which experienced outflows of $47 million.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| FAUG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – August | $851M |
| DAUG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF – August | $228M |
| GAUG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – August | $177M |
| BUFR | FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | $56M |
| UAUG | Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF – August | $55M |
| Outflows | ||
| BJUN | Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – June | -$63M |
| DLMY | FT Vest U.S. Equity Dual Directional Buffer ETF – May | -$47M |
| BMAR | Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – March | -$37M |
| DDTZ | Innovator Equity Dual Directional 10 Buffer ETF – June | -$36M |
| UMAR | Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF – March | -$24M |
Note: the following fund(s) were excluded from the flow totals above because the weekly flow exceeds 75% of the fund’s AUM and may be the result of a custom rebalance: QMAG ($44M).
Issuer League Table Update
The issuer landscape remains concentrated, with FT Vest controlling a 48.87% market share and Innovator holding 36.48%. FT Vest capitalized on the August reset, leading all issuers with $1.38 billion in net inflows for the week. Conversely, Innovator was the largest issuer to see net redemptions, though the total was a modest $11 million.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Issuer | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Vest | 121 | $47.81B | 48.87% |
| Innovator | 162 | $35.69B | 36.48% |
| Allianz | 59 | $5.93B | 6.07% |
| PGIM | 47 | $1.70B | 1.74% |
| AB Funds | 3 | $1.66B | 1.70% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Issuer | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| FT Vest | $1,376M |
| PGIM | $42M |
| Allianz | $24M |
| Outflows | |
| Innovator | -$11M |
| iShares | -$7M |
| TrueShares | -$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.
