Weekly Channel Summary
The Alternative ETF channel, consisting of 47 ETFs across 28 brands, oversees a total of $11.6B in Assets Under Management (AUM). Overall sentiment remains positive, as the channel recorded +$124M in 5-Day Flows. Year-to-date (YTD), the channel has gathered +$963M, contributing to an impressive +$5.09B in 1-Year Net Flows.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
The inverse performance relationship between Volatility – Short and Volatility – Long continued to define the channel’s risk profile. Volatility – Short slightly outperformed this week (-0.46%) compared to Volatility – Long (-1.25%), though Long strategies maintain a commanding +31.39% YTD advantage. Among the Absolute Return categories, Managed Futures led the group, posting a +0.63% weekly gain.
Absolute Return Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | +0.63% | +5.33% | +11.66% | +15.56% | +10.25% | +17.85% |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | +0.47% | +0.94% | -0.36% | +0.62% | -0.11% | +7.83% |
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | -0.22% | -0.23% | +0.25% | +2.78% | +0.35% | +7.70% |
Volatility Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | -0.46% | -9.57% | -10.36% | -7.84% | -14.06% | -1.54% |
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | -1.25% | +20.72% | +17.23% | +0.85% | +31.39% | -35.28% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
At the individual ETF level, WZRD (Opportunistic Trader ETF) posted the strongest performance, rocketing +12.68% for the week. Conversely, UVIX (2x Long VIX Futures ETF) and QIS (Simplify Multi-QIS Alternative ETF) suffered the largest weekly drawdowns at -4.70% and -3.87%, respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| WZRD | Opportunistic Trader ETF | +12.68% |
| SCLS | Stoneport Advisors Commodity Long Short ETF | +4.64% |
| WTIP | WisdomTree Inflation Plus Fund | +2.71% |
| VXZ | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Mid-Term Futures ETN | +2.01% |
| VIXM | ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF | +2.00% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | -4.70% |
| QIS | Simplify Multi-QIS Alternative ETF | -3.87% |
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | -3.34% |
| HFMF | Unlimited HFMF Managed Futures ETF | -2.10% |
| ZVOL | Volatility Premium Plus ETF | -2.04% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Net flows for the week totaled +$124M. Interestingly, Volatility – Short attracted the most capital with +$103M in inflows. This is a highly contrarian move from investors buying the dip, considering the category’s poor recent and YTD performance. Meanwhile, Volatility – Long saw the largest outflows at -$58M, pointing to strong profit-taking after massive YTD gains. The Absolute Return categories combined to gather a solid +$79M for the week.
Absolute Return Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | 16 | $6.3B | +$67M | +$831M | +$1,446M | +$1,218M | +$2,957M |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | 11 | $1.9B | +$12M | +$87M | +$42M | +$90M | +$334M |
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | 9 | $0.5B | $0M | +$2M | $0M | -$12M | +$35M |
Volatility Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | 5 | $1.2B | +$103M | +$147M | +$48M | +$102M | -$587M |
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | 6 | $1.7B | -$58M | -$321M | -$336M | -$435M | +$2,355M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The most targeted individual fund was UVXY, which gathered +$89M in net inflows, representing a massive 32.67% of its AUM in just five days. The fund shedding the most capital was UVIX with -$72M out the door, followed closely by VXX losing -$49M.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | +$89M |
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | +$76M |
| KMLM | KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF | +$34M |
| DBMF | IMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | +$28M |
| SVXY | ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | +$22M |
| Outflows | ||
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | -$72M |
| VXX | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | -$49M |
| VIXY | ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | -$28M |
| CTA | Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF | -$1M |
| CUSD | CrossingBridge Ultra-Short Duration ETF | -$1M |
Issuer League Table Update
The Alternative ETF space remains top-heavy with iM commanding a robust 28.34% market share on $3.29B in AUM. Simplify sits in second place capturing 17.45% of the market with $2.03B. For the week, ProShares led the board in asset gathering (+$85M), while iPath suffered the worst drawdowns, bleeding -$49M.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| iM | 1 | $3.29B | 28.34% |
| Simplify | 4 | $2.03B | 17.45% |
| New York Life Investments | 2 | $1.01B | 8.73% |
| ProShares | 6 | $0.86B | 7.45% |
| iPath | 2 | $0.73B | 6.26% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| ProShares | +$85M |
| KraneShares | +$34M |
| iM | +$28M |
| Outflows | |
| iPath | -$49M |
| CrossingBridge Funds | -$1M |
| SEI | $0M |
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.
