Weekly Channel Summary
The Alternative ETF channel closed the week with $11B in total Assets Under Management (AUM), distributed across 47 ETFs and 28 unique brands. Net flows for the week were solid, capturing $0.11B ($110M) in new assets. This weekly momentum contributes to a robust Year-To-Date (YTD) flow of $0.90B and a massive 1-Year flow of $4.84B.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Market volatility took center stage this week, driving a sharp wedge between opposing strategies. The Alternative: Volatility – Long category surged with a massive 25.86% gain, pushing its YTD return to 35.75%. Conversely, the Alternative: Volatility – Short category bore the brunt of this spike, suffering an -8.72% drop for the week and falling to -13.07% YTD. Within the Absolute Return segment, Managed Futures was the standout leader, advancing 1.11% over the 5-day period.
Absolute Return Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | 1.11% | 4.72% | 11.15% | 16.19% | 9.49% | 17.64% |
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | -0.14% | 0.04% | 0.73% | 2.54% | 0.54% | 7.59% |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | -1.84% | 0.97% | -0.94% | 0.99% | -0.34% | 7.13% |
Volatility Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | 25.86% | 33.31% | 14.25% | -5.53% | 35.75% | -36.32% |
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | -8.72% | -11.26% | -8.56% | -4.59% | -13.07% | -7.97% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The massive spike in market volatility propelled the UVIX (2x Long VIX Futures ETF) to the very top, delivering an outstanding 48.23% WTD return. On the losing side, strategies designed to short volatility or follow multi-asset trends struggled heavily; SVIX (-1x Short VIX Futures ETF) plummeted -20.57%, and TFPN (Blueprint Chesapeake Multi-Asset Trend ETF) fell -7.05%.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 Performers | ||
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | 48.23% |
| VXX | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | 23.79% |
| FAAR | First Trust Alternative Absolute Return Strategy ETF | 10.18% |
| SCLS | Stoneport Advisors Commodity Long Short ETF | 9.62% |
| VXZ | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures ETN | 5.56% |
| Bottom 5 Performers | ||
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | -20.57% |
| TFPN | Blueprint Chesapeake Multi-Asset Trend ETF | -7.05% |
| ZVOL | Volatility Premium Plus ETF | -5.38% |
| VYLD | Inverse Vix Short-Term Futures ETN | -4.63% |
| SVOL | Simplify Volatility Premium ETF | -4.31% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The channel gathered a total of $110M in net weekly flows, with Absolute Return – Managed Futures absorbing the bulk of incoming capital ($184M). Notably, we observed heavily contrarian flow behavior in the Volatility categories. Despite a severe drop in performance, Alternative: Volatility – Short gathered $87M in inflows, suggesting investors are buying the dip. Meanwhile, Alternative: Volatility – Long saw massive outflows of ($206M) despite its 25.86% surge, heavily indicating profit-taking.
Absolute Return Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | 15 | $6.1B | $184M | $842M | $1,376M | $1,149M | $2,768M |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | 11 | $1.9B | $43M | $73M | $40M | $78M | $324M |
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | 9 | $0.5B | $4M | $1M | $0M | ($12M) | $35M |
Volatility Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | 5 | $1.1B | $87M | $39M | ($83M) | ($1M) | ($530M) |
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | 6 | $1.6B | ($206M) | ($244M) | ($158M) | ($317M) | $2,246M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
On an individual fund level, DBMF (IMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF) led the pack with $160M in new assets. Conversely, the aggressive profit-taking on long volatility strategies triggered steep redemptions for UVXY (ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF) and UVIX (2x Long VIX Futures ETF), which saw outflows of ($121M) and ($82M), respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 Inflows | ||
| DBMF | IMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | $160M |
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | $90M |
| FLSP | Franklin Systematic Style Premia ETF | $52M |
| VXX | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | $20M |
| KMLM | KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF | $16M |
| Top 5 Outflows | ||
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | ($121M) |
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | ($82M) |
| VIXY | ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | ($22M) |
| QAI | NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF | ($9M) |
| SVXY | ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | ($5M) |
Issuer League Table Update
iM continues to dominate the competitive landscape, retaining the top spot with 28.47% of the market share and $3.20B in total AUM. Simplify follows closely in second place with 18.00% market share ($2.02B). Bolstered by DBMF’s success, iM was also the premier flow-gatherer this week with $160M in inflows. On the other end, ProShares experienced the largest weekly redemptions, shedding -$150M.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| iM | 1 | $3.20B | 28.47% |
| Simplify | 4 | $2.02B | 18.00% |
| New York Life Investments | 2 | $1.02B | 9.08% |
| ProShares | 6 | $0.76B | 6.76% |
| Franklin | 1 | $0.66B | 5.91% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Top 3 Inflows | |
| iM | $160M |
| Franklin | $52M |
| iPath | $20M |
| Top 3 Outflows | |
| ProShares | -$150M |
| New York Life Investments | -$5M |
| WisdomTree | -$4M |
For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Alternative 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.
