Shipping ETFs Surge as Outflows Hit Broader Commodity Funds

Share

Weekly Channel Summary

The Commodities channel, encompassing 75 ETFs from 30 issuers, holds total assets of $313.28 billion. The segment experienced net outflows of $456 million for the week, contributing to year-to-date redemptions of $5.85 billion. Despite the recent negative sentiment, flows over the past year remain strongly positive, totaling over $27.08 billion.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Shipping Freight ETFs led performance by a wide margin, jumping 9.50% for the week and pushing their remarkable year-to-date return to over 733%. Industrial Metals also posted solid gains, rising 2.68% as the only other category to finish in the green. On the other end of the spectrum, Focused Energy funds were the worst performers, declining 4.92% over the past five days, followed by Agriculture funds which fell 3.12%.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
Specialty – Shipping Freight 9.50% 50.31% 41.87% 353.81% 733.72% 1314.95%
Focused – Industrial Metals 2.68% 4.62% 5.57% 6.94% 11.73% 40.83%
Specialty – Carbon Credits 0.47% 0.86% 9.69% 6.49% -2.26% 13.37%
Focused – Precious Metals -0.09% 0.57% -13.42% -18.25% -7.82% 26.79%
Multi-Sector – Broad Market -1.76% 8.78% -4.19% 17.30% 28.42% 36.55%
Focused – Agriculture -3.12% 3.91% -1.93% 7.76% 8.79% 8.87%
Focused – Energy -4.92% 16.30% -10.06% 45.35% 68.76% 48.66%

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance

The Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF (BWET) was the week’s top individual performer, surging 11.76% and mirroring the strength in its category. Its peer, the Breakwave Dry Bulk Shipping ETF (BDRY), also posted a strong 6.76% gain. Conversely, the Skylar Electricity Futures ETF (MWHS) saw the steepest decline, falling 12.01% for the week, while the United States Oil Fund LP (USO) dropped 5.50%.

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF 11.76%
BDRY Breakwave Dry Bulk Shipping ETF 6.76%
PLTM GraniteShares Platinum Trust 3.79%
PPLT abrdn Physical Platinum Shares ETF 3.67%
CPER United States Copper Index Fund 3.16%
Bottom Performers
MWHS Skylar Electricity Futures ETF -12.01%
WEAT Teucrium Wheat Fund -5.59%
USO United States Oil Fund LP -5.50%
DBO Invesco DB Oil Fund -5.24%
UNG United States Natural Gas Fund LP -4.64%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

Investors pulled a net $456 million from the Commodities channel this week, with every category experiencing either flat or negative flows. The Focused – Energy category saw the largest redemptions, shedding $231 million amidst weak performance. Multi-Sector – Broad Market and Focused – Precious Metals funds also saw significant outflows, losing $90 million and $78 million, respectively.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Specialty – Shipping Freight 2 $65M $0M $2M -$26M -$36M -$60M
Specialty – Carbon Credits 3 $254M -$1M -$2M -$12M -$34M -$47M
Focused – Industrial Metals 4 $1.13B -$10M -$37M -$19M $372M $633M
Focused – Agriculture 8 $2.15B -$46M -$87M -$100M $1,065M $1,067M
Focused – Precious Metals 18 $279.62B -$78M $448M -$6,570M -$12,471M $18,854M
Multi-Sector – Broad Market 28 $26.25B -$90M $1,237M $2,102M $4,872M $6,074M
Focused – Energy 12 $3.81B -$231M -$272M $51M $386M $561M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

Despite net outflows from the Precious Metals category, the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was the week’s clear inflow leader, attracting $172 million in new assets. On the other hand, the largest gold ETF, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), experienced the heaviest redemptions, with investors withdrawing $298 million. The United States Oil Fund LP (USO) also saw substantial outflows of $184 million, aligning with the negative sentiment in the energy space.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
SLV iShares Silver Trust $172M
AAAU Goldman Sachs Physical Gold ETF $36M
IAUM iShares Gold Trust Micro ETF of Benef Interest $26M
SIVR abrdn Physical Silver Shares ETF $22M
FTGC First Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund $22M
Outflows
GLD SPDR Gold Shares -$298M
USO United States Oil Fund LP -$184M
HGER Harbor Commodity All-Weather Strategy ETF -$113M
IAU iShares Gold Trust -$85M
BNO United States Brent Oil Fund LP -$52M

Issuer League Table Update

SPDR and iShares continue to dominate the commodities landscape, commanding 51.71% and 31.41% of the channel’s assets, respectively. This week, iShares was the top asset gatherer, bringing in $116 million in net new money, largely driven by its silver ETF. In contrast, SPDR faced the largest outflows among all issuers, shedding $290 million, followed by US Commodity Funds with $233 million in redemptions.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
SPDR 3 $161.99B 51.71%
iShares 7 $98.41B 31.41%
aberdeen 7 $19.13B 6.11%
Invesco 9 $10.50B 3.35%
US Commodity Funds 8 $4.34B 1.39%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
iShares $116M
Goldman Sachs $36M
aberdeen $33M
Outflows
SPDR -$290M
US Commodity Funds -$233M
Harbor -$113M

For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Commodity 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.