Weekly Channel Summary
The Buffer ETF channel ended the week with $98.73 billion in assets under management across 539 funds from 21 issuers. The category experienced significant net outflows of $1.01 billion for the week, trimming its year-to-date inflows to $11.25 billion. Over the past year, Buffer ETFs have accumulated nearly $16.0 billion in net new assets.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Fixed Income was the top-performing category on a weekly basis, gaining 0.48%, though it represents a very small portion of the channel. The dominant Equity category also finished in the green, rising 0.29% for the week and bringing its year-to-date return to 8.02%. On the other end of the spectrum, Commodity funds were the sole negative performer, declining by 3.34%.
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Investors pulled a net $1.01 billion from the Buffer ETF channel this week, with the outflows concentrated entirely in Equity products which shed $1.00 billion. The primary driver of the redemptions was the August series of reset ETFs, which saw a collective outflow of over $1.00 billion as outcome periods concluded. In contrast, Laddered strategies proved to be the most popular, attracting $112 million in net new assets for the week.
Flows by Asset Class
| Asset Class | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commodity | 1 | $56M | $1M | $2M | $4M | $1M | -$8M |
| Fixed Income | 2 | $13M | -$2M | -$5M | -$17M | -$19M | -$35M |
| Crypto | 20 | $162M | -$8M | -$14M | -$28M | -$33M | $17M |
| Equity | 515 | $98.44B | -$1,002M | $773M | $4,785M | $11,297M | $16,006M |
Flows by Outcome Period / Strategy
| Outcome Period / Strategy | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer Reset: Laddered | 29 | $18.53B | $112M | $500M | $1,423M | $3,398M | $4,618M |
| Buffer Reset: June | 40 | $6.57B | $17M | $16M | $2,199M | $2,119M | $1,807M |
| Buffer Reset: July | 53 | $6.98B | $14M | $248M | $1,172M | $493M | $65M |
| Buffer Reset: April | 45 | $5.69B | $10M | $56M | $174M | $709M | $537M |
| Buffer Reset: Semi-Annually | 10 | $1.19B | $7M | $12M | $54M | $20M | $48M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 11 | $2.56B | $6M | -$179M | $189M | $387M | $648M |
| Buffer Reset: Quarterly | 42 | $9.15B | $1M | $148M | $783M | $2,068M | $3,110M |
| Buffer Reset: February | 25 | $4.90B | $1M | -$28M | -$54M | $1,019M | $468M |
| Buffer Reset: January | 44 | $7.05B | $0M | -$34M | -$290M | $1,160M | $455M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 1 | $40M | $0M | $1M | -$1M | -$3M | -$1M |
| Buffer Reset: Daily | 4 | $10M | -$0M | $1M | $2M | $5M | -$8M |
| Buffer Reset: September | 30 | $5.40B | -$3M | -$53M | -$265M | -$777M | $821M |
| Buffer Reset: October | 44 | $5.56B | -$8M | -$70M | -$501M | -$1,073M | $658M |
| Buffer Reset: May | 34 | $5.01B | -$26M | -$70M | $21M | $1,828M | $1,684M |
| Buffer Reset: November | 26 | $4.08B | -$38M | -$61M | -$302M | -$433M | $665M |
| Buffer Reset: March | 31 | $5.04B | -$43M | -$102M | -$80M | $476M | $321M |
| Buffer Reset: December | 34 | $6.25B | -$60M | -$91M | -$388M | -$379M | -$139M |
| Buffer Reset: August | 35 | $4.66B | -$1,004M | $462M | $611M | $227M | $223M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF (BUFR) was the top asset gatherer, pulling in $49 million. Outflows were heavily concentrated in funds with an August reset date, reflecting typical investor behavior at the end of an outcome period. The FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – August (FAUG) saw the largest redemption at $778 million, followed by its sibling fund, the FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF – August (DAUG), which lost $187 million.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| BUFR | FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | $49M |
| BAUG | Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – August | $36M |
| BALT | Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | $30M |
| BUFF | Innovator Laddered Allocation Power Buffer ETF | $16M |
| ZAUG | Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF – 1 Yr August | $15M |
| Outflows | ||
| FAUG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – August | -$778M |
| DAUG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF – August | -$187M |
| GAUG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – August | -$82M |
| FDEC | FT Vest US Equity Buffer ETF – December | -$47M |
| FHDG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly Dynamic Buffer ETF | -$34M |
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: JULV ($64M).
Issuer League Table Update
FT Vest and Innovator continue to dominate the Buffer ETF landscape, commanding 48.67% and 36.69% of the market share, respectively. Innovator led all issuers in weekly inflows, attracting a modest $27 million in new capital. Conversely, FT Vest experienced the largest outflows of any issuer, with investors pulling a net $1.07 billion from its product lineup, driven by its August reset series.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Issuer | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Vest | 122 | $48.05B | 48.67% |
| Innovator | 162 | $36.23B | 36.69% |
| Allianz | 59 | $5.93B | 6.01% |
| PGIM | 47 | $1.72B | 1.75% |
| AB Funds | 3 | $1.67B | 1.69% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Issuer | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| Innovator | $27M |
| PGIM | $17M |
| Calamos | $9M |
| Outflows | |
| FT Vest | -$1,072M |
| First Trust | -$5M |
| 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.
