Specialty ETF Recap: IALT Dominates Flows, AINT Tops Returns

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Weekly Channel Summary

The Equity: Specialty channel, encompassing 79 ETFs across 54 issuers, currently holds $16.8B in Assets Under Management (AUM). Activity over the past week demonstrated continued positive momentum with the channel capturing $339M in 5-day net inflows. This weekly surge bolsters a strong Year-to-Date (YTD) net inflow total of $1.78B and an impressive 1-year flow of $3.42B.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Both categories within the channel posted positive Week-to-Date (WTD) returns. The Equity: Specialty – Hedged category led the way, climbing 1.09% WTD, pushing its strong Year-to-Date (YTD) performance to 7.33%. The Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category trailed slightly with a WTD return of 0.90%, bringing its YTD gain to 6.86%.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
Equity: Specialty – Hedged 1.09% 3.43% 5.73% 7.25% 7.33% 18.88%
Equity: Specialty – Long | Short 0.90% 2.62% 4.27% 6.61% 6.86% 13.74%

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance

The FINQ DOLLAR NEUTRAL U.S. Large Cap AI-Managed Equity ETF (AINT) captured the top spot this week with a robust 6.73% return. Conversely, the AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund (BTAL) and the Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF (LBAY) were the primary laggards, returning -5.56% and -2.47%, respectively.

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
AINT FINQ DOLLAR NEUTRAL U.S. Large Cap AI-Managed Equity ETF 6.73%
CTEF Castellan Targeted Equity ETF 5.56%
QTR Global X NASDAQ 100 Tail Risk ETF 2.87%
NLSI NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF 2.80%
MEMA Man Active Emerging Markets Alternative ETF 2.73%
Bottom Performers
BTAL AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund -5.56%
LBAY Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF -2.47%
CLIX ProShares Long Online/Short Stores ETF -1.17%
CCOR Core Alternative ETF -0.77%
HELS Hedgeye 130/30 Equity ETF -0.46%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

The channel experienced strong aggregate net inflows of $339M over the past five days. The Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category, currently holding $5.2B in AUM, was the primary driver, attracting $276M in new assets. The Equity: Specialty – Hedged category also saw positive movement, bringing in $63M. Neither category experienced net outflows for the week.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Equity: Specialty – Long | Short 27 $5.2B $276M $468M $660M $1,237M $1,521M
Equity: Specialty – Hedged 52 $11.6B $63M $118M $45M $542M $1,902M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

The iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF (IALT) dominated weekly flows, pulling in $253M. On the outflow side, the AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund (BTAL) and the Amplify BlackSwan Growth & Treasury Core ETF (SWAN) saw the largest redemptions, losing $9M and $4M, respectively.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
IALT iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF $253M
HELO JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF $53M
CLSE Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF $20M
CAOS Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF $10M
FTLS First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF $7M
Outflows
BTAL AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund -$9M
SWAN Amplify BlackSwan Growth & Treasury Core ETF -$4M
SPYC Simplify US Equity PLUS Convexity ETF -$3M
QBUL TrueShares Quarterly Bull Hedge ETF -$3M
SHDG Soundwatch Hedged Equity ETF -$2M

Issuer League Table Update

JPMorgan remains the dominant issuer in this space, commanding a 26.64% market share, followed by First Trust at 13.97%. While iShares led the pack in weekly asset gathering with $253M in inflows, AGF saw the largest outflows among issuers, shedding $9M over the 5-day period.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
JPMorgan 3 $4.47B 26.64%
First Trust 1 $2.34B 13.97%
Fidelity 2 $0.90B 5.36%
Alpha Architect 2 $0.69B 4.14%
Swan 1 $0.69B 4.10%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
iShares $253M
JPMorgan $54M
Convergence $20M
Outflows
AGF -$9M
Simplify -$5M
Amplify -$4M

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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.