Weekly Channel Summary
The FI: Specialty channel closed the week with total assets of $74.64 billion spread across 166 ETFs from 13 issuers. Net flows were positive at $377 million for the five-day period, extending a robust year-to-date total of $11,626 million and a one-year net inflow of $20,002 million. The channel continues to see steady, sustained demand across most of its history, with defined maturity products anchoring the bulk of both assets and flows.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
On a week-to-date basis, performance across the channel’s three categories was uniformly negative, with Specialty – Defined Maturity holding up best at -0.04%, while Specialty – Interest Rate Volatility lagged at -0.94% and Specialty – Maturing Ladder fell -0.31%. Year-to-date, however, Interest Rate Volatility leads with a 1.77% gain, followed by Defined Maturity at 0.56%, while Maturing Ladder remains in negative territory at -1.19%. The best-performing fund of the week was the BNDD Quadratic Deflation ETF, up 1.13%, followed by a cluster of long-dated iShares iBonds term Treasury funds posting gains near 0.4-0.45%. On the downside, IVOL was the week’s weakest performer, declining 2.96%, with the Northern Trust 2055 Tax-Exempt Distributing Ladder ETF also under notable pressure at -1.42%.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty – Defined Maturity | -0.04% | -0.61% | -0.28% | 0.48% | 0.56% | 1.63% |
| Specialty – Maturing Ladder | -0.31% | -1.21% | -2.02% | -1.81% | -1.19% | -1.04% |
| Specialty – Interest Rate Volatility | -0.94% | -1.96% | 4.02% | 1.63% | 1.77% | 3.82% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
Fund-level performance this week was dominated by defined maturity and rate-volatility strategies at opposite ends of the spectrum. BNDD topped the leaderboard with a 1.13% weekly gain, while a series of iShares iBonds 2054-2056 Term Treasury ETFs each added roughly 0.4-0.45%, reflecting relative resilience in longer-dated maturities. On the other end, IVOL declined 2.96%, by far the week’s largest drawdown, followed by declines in MUND (-1.42%) and RFIX (-0.85%). These divergent moves illustrate the sensitivity of interest-rate-hedged and inflation-linked strategies to the week’s rate environment relative to steadier term-maturity funds.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| BNDD | Quadratic Deflation ETF | 1.13% |
| IBGM | iShares iBonds Dec 2056 Term Treasury ETF | 0.45% |
| IBGK | iShares iBonds Dec 2054 Term Treasury ETF | 0.44% |
| IBGL | iShares iBonds Dec 2055 Term Treasury ETF | 0.42% |
| LFBE | LifeX 2065 Longevity Income ETF | 0.30% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| IVOL | KraneShares Quadratic Interest Rate Volatility and Inflation Hedge ETF | -2.96% |
| MUND | Northern Trust 2055 Tax-Exempt Distributing Ladder ETF | -1.42% |
| RFIX | Simplify Bond Bull ETF | -0.85% |
| IRVH | Global X Interest Rate Volatility & Inflation Hedge ETF | -0.83% |
| IBIK | iShares iBonds Oct 2034 Term TIPS ETF | -0.80% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The channel gathered $377 million in net new assets over the trailing five days, with Specialty – Defined Maturity capturing the vast majority at $364 million, dwarfing the $13 million added to Interest Rate Volatility and flat flows in Maturing Ladder. By segment, Corporate funds led with $216 million in inflows, followed by Government at $102 million and Municipal at $58 million. Duration-based flows were mixed: the 2026 maturity bucket saw the largest outflow at -$118 million, likely reflecting funds approaching termination, while 2029 ($91 million) and 2028 ($81 million) buckets attracted the strongest inflows among target-date funds.
Flows by Category
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty – Defined Maturity | 130 | $73.58B | $364M | $1,205M | $3,566M | $11,657M | $20,125M |
| Specialty – Interest Rate Volatility | 8 | $882M | $13M | $19M | -$5M | -$49M | -$7M |
| Specialty – Maturing Ladder | 28 | $173M | $0M | $2M | -$13M | $18M | -$115M |
Flows by Segment
| Segment | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate | 64 | $55.73B | $216M | $578M | $2,013M | $7,706M | $13,922M |
| Government | 67 | $13.57B | $102M | $481M | $1,200M | $2,881M | $4,397M |
| Municipal | 35 | $5.34B | $58M | $167M | $334M | $1,040M | $1,683M |
Flows by Duration
| Duration | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: 2026 | 10 | $10.90B | -$118M | -$589M | -$1,507M | -$2,715M | -$1,714M |
| Duration: 2027 | 13 | $13.65B | $15M | $187M | $562M | $1,647M | $2,695M |
| Duration: 2028 | 14 | $13.14B | $81M | $388M | $1,082M | $3,211M | $4,655M |
| Duration: 2029 | 13 | $10.49B | $91M | $97M | $671M | $2,208M | $3,580M |
| Duration: 2030 | 17 | $8.58B | $67M | $252M | $840M | $2,232M | $3,614M |
| Duration: 2031 | 15 | $5.89B | $79M | $266M | $758M | $1,647M | $2,332M |
| Duration: 2032 | 11 | $4.31B | $31M | $140M | $349M | $984M | $1,555M |
| Duration: 2033 | 11 | $2.99B | $20M | $131M | $220M | $697M | $1,036M |
| Duration: 2034 | 10 | $2.06B | $39M | $109M | $169M | $718M | $1,071M |
| Duration: 2035 | 13 | $1.22B | $25M | $142M | $222M | $733M | $892M |
| Duration: 2036 | 8 | $259M | $31M | $87M | $137M | $231M | $231M |
| Duration: 2044 | 1 | $76M | $0M | -$26M | -$21M | -$5M | $5M |
| Duration: 2045 | 3 | $23M | $0M | $3M | $2M | $3M | $4M |
| Duration: 2046 | 3 | $61M | $4M | $21M | $41M | $48M | $48M |
| Duration: 2050 | 2 | $8M | $0M | $0M | $0M | $0M | -$3M |
| Duration: 2054 | 1 | $6M | $0M | $0M | $0M | $2M | $4M |
| Duration: 2055 | 5 | $18M | $0M | -$2M | -$7M | -$6M | -$14M |
| Duration: 2056 | 3 | $54M | $0M | $2M | $39M | $42M | $42M |
| Duration: 2060 | 2 | $4M | $0M | $0M | -$3M | -$2M | -$15M |
| Duration: 2065 | 2 | $5M | $0M | -$1M | -$2M | -$2M | -$10M |
| Duration: Long | 1 | $1M | $0M | $0M | $0M | $0M | $0M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
At the fund level, iShares’ IBDW led weekly inflows with $38 million, followed closely by IBDU at $34 million, both benefiting from continued demand for mid-decade term corporate exposure. On the outflow side, Invesco’s BSCQ saw the largest redemption at -$50 million, followed by iShares’ IBDR at -$29 million, both 2026-dated term corporate funds nearing maturity. These flow patterns reinforce the broader duration-bucket trend of investors rotating out of near-term 2026 maturities and into intermediate 2028-2029 vintages.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| IBDW | iShares iBonds Dec 2031 Term Corporate ETF | $38M |
| IBDU | iShares iBonds Dec 2029 Term Corporate ETF | $34M |
| BSCT | Invesco BulletShares 2029 Corporate Bond ETF | $30M |
| IBDT | iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF | $30M |
| RISR | FolioBeyond Alternative Income and Interest Rate Hedge ETF | $23M |
| Outflows | ||
| BSCQ | Invesco BulletShares 2026 Corporate Bond ETF | -$50M |
| IBDR | iShares iBonds Dec 2026 Term Corporate ETF | -$29M |
| IBTG | iShares iBonds Dec 2026 Term Treasury ETF | -$17M |
| IBDS | iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF | -$17M |
| BSJQ | Invesco BulletShares 2026 High Yield Corp Bond ETF | -$11M |
Issuer League Table Update
iShares remains the dominant issuer in FI: Specialty with $43.49 billion in assets and a 58.27% market share, followed by Invesco at $28.47 billion and a 38.15% share; together the two firms control over 96% of channel assets. iShares also led weekly inflows by a wide margin, adding $257 million, with Invesco contributing a further $91 million and FolioBeyond adding $23 million. On the outflow side, Quadratic recorded the largest weekly redemption among issuers at -$10 million, a modest figure relative to the channel’s overall inflow activity, with KraneShares and Global X essentially flat for the week.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| iShares | 57 | $43.49B | 58.27% |
| Invesco | 36 | $28.47B | 38.15% |
| State Street | 21 | $1.17B | 1.57% |
| Vanguard | 10 | $437M | 0.59% |
| FolioBeyond | 1 | $373M | 0.50% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| iShares | $257M |
| Invesco | $91M |
| FolioBeyond | $23M |
| Outflows | |
| Quadratic | -$10M |
| KraneShares | -$0M |
| Global X | -$0M |
For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth FI: Specialty 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.
