Weekly Channel Summary
The Buffer channel closed the week with total AUM of $100.69B spread across 552 ETFs from 22 issuers. Weekly net flows came in at $549M, extending a strong run that has brought YTD net inflows to $13,254M and 1-Year net inflows to $16,932M. The channel remains firmly in inflow territory across all measured periods, underscoring sustained investor demand for defined-outcome strategies.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
On a WTD basis, Crypto led all categories with a 1.23% gain, followed by Equity at 0.67%, while Fixed Income (-0.96%) and Commodity (-1.18%) lagged for the week. Despite its weekly strength, Crypto remains the weakest performer over the trailing year at -15.25% and is down -3.98% YTD, highlighting continued volatility in that corner of the buffer landscape. Equity, by contrast, has been the channel’s steadiest performer, up 8.71% YTD and 11.85% over the past year, consistent with its dominant 529-fund footprint. Within the top funds by flow, FSEP stood out with $112M in weekly inflows, reinforcing the strength of the September buffer reset cohort amid broadly positive equity market performance.
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The Buffer channel generated $549M in net inflows for the week, with Equity funds accounting for the bulk of demand at $555M, more than offsetting a modest -$6M outflow from Crypto. Among outcome-period strategies, the September reset cohort led all groups with $378M in weekly inflows, followed by the October ($124M) and Laddered ($121M) resets, while the February reset cohort saw the largest outflow at -$176M. The June reset group also registered outflows of -$78M for the week, though it retains a strongly positive $1,985M YTD figure, suggesting the outflow reflects near-term rotation rather than a structural shift. Overall, the flow pattern points to investors favoring funds tied to the most recently initiated buffer windows.
Flows by Asset Class
| Asset Class | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity | 529 | $100.47B | $555M | $2,285M | $3,975M | $13,312M | $16,969M |
| Commodity | 1 | $54M | $0M | $1M | $5M | $2M | $7M |
| Fixed Income | 2 | $14M | $0M | $1M | -$29M | -$18M | -$33M |
| Crypto | 20 | $155M | -$6M | -$17M | -$33M | -$42M | -$10M |
Flows by Outcome Period / Strategy
| Outcome Period / Strategy | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer Reset: September | 40 | $6.38B | $378M | $1,204M | $1,107M | $426M | $605M |
| Buffer Reset: October | 44 | $5.52B | $124M | $79M | -$128M | -$989M | $681M |
| Buffer Reset: Laddered | 29 | $19.17B | $121M | $530M | $1,488M | $3,829M | $4,823M |
| Buffer Reset: July | 54 | $7.25B | $102M | $250M | $1,304M | $733M | $132M |
| Buffer Reset: August | 35 | $4.99B | $90M | $489M | $989M | $484M | $382M |
| Buffer Reset: Quarterly | 43 | $9.48B | $73M | $263M | $530M | $2,291M | $3,183M |
| Buffer Reset: March | 31 | $5.10B | $32M | -$19M | -$68M | $499M | $465M |
| Buffer Reset: January | 44 | $7.05B | $31M | -$8M | -$260M | $1,151M | $874M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 11 | $2.40B | $8M | $36M | -$396M | $419M | $630M |
| Buffer Reset: April | 45 | $5.71B | $5M | $7M | $139M | $707M | $551M |
| Buffer Reset: Semi-Annually | 10 | $1.21B | $4M | $26M | -$208M | $41M | $38M |
| Buffer Reset: Monthly | 2 | $2M | $2M | $2M | $2M | $2M | $2M |
| Buffer Reset: Daily | 4 | $10M | $0M | $0M | $3M | $5M | -$1M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 1 | $40M | -$1M | -$0M | $1M | -$3M | -$3M |
| Buffer Reset: December | 34 | $6.16B | -$30M | -$113M | -$301M | -$432M | -$79M |
| Buffer Reset: May | 34 | $4.95B | -$67M | -$101M | -$76M | $1,754M | $1,719M |
| Buffer Reset: November | 26 | $4.04B | -$69M | -$91M | -$300M | -$495M | $775M |
| Buffer Reset: June | 40 | $6.48B | -$78M | -$114M | $326M | $1,985M | $1,704M |
| Buffer Reset: February | 25 | $4.74B | -$176M | -$170M | -$235M | $848M | $451M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
FT Vest’s FSEP topped the fund-level leaderboard with $112M in weekly inflows, followed by fellow FT Vest offerings FJUL ($88M) and FAUG ($85M), reflecting robust demand for that issuer’s mid-to-late-summer reset series. On the outflow side, the FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – June (GJUN) led redemptions at -$77M, followed by the FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer Fund – February (FFEB) at -$69M. The presence of both inflow and outflow leaders within the FT Vest lineup illustrates the issuer’s broad footprint and the divergent performance of its various reset windows during the week.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| FSEP | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – September | $112M |
| FJUL | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – July | $88M |
| FAUG | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – August | $85M |
| USEP | Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF – September | $64M |
| BSEP | Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – September | $53M |
| Outflows | ||
| GJUN | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – June | -$77M |
| FFEB | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer Fund – February | -$69M |
| GMAY | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – May | -$66M |
| BFEB | Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – February | -$54M |
| UFEB | Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF – February | -$54M |
Issuer League Table Update
FT Vest and Innovator remain the dominant issuers in the Buffer channel, holding 48.85% and 36.48% market share, respectively, with combined AUM exceeding $85B across 284 funds. FT Vest also led weekly inflow activity with $265M, followed by PGIM at $137M and Innovator at $81M, indicating broad-based demand across the largest and mid-sized issuers alike. On the outflow side, Corgi recorded the largest weekly redemption at -$10M, a modest figure relative to the channel’s overall inflow momentum. The data suggests issuer-level flows this week were overwhelmingly positive, with outflows concentrated among smaller participants.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Issuer | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Vest | 122 | $49.19B | 48.85% |
| Innovator | 162 | $36.73B | 36.48% |
| Allianz | 59 | $6.02B | 5.98% |
| PGIM | 47 | $1.81B | 1.80% |
| AB Funds | 3 | $1.74B | 1.72% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Issuer | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| FT Vest | $265M |
| PGIM | $137M |
| Innovator | $81M |
| Outflows | |
| Corgi | -$10M |
| Calamos | -$3M |
| Day Hagan | -$1M |
For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Buffer 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.
