Weekly Channel Summary
The Buffer ETF channel, comprising 508 funds from 19 issuers, currently holds $93.97 billion in assets under management. This week, investors added a net $791 million to the category, continuing a trend of steady demand. Year-to-date inflows now stand at a robust $8.73 billion, while the trailing one-year total has reached $14.35 billion.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Equity-linked Buffer ETFs led performance over the past week, posting a collective gain of 0.83%. This positive weekly return contributes to a year-to-date advance of 5.82% for the channel’s largest segment. In contrast, Fixed Income buffer products struggled, declining by 2.02% for the week and extending their year-to-date losses to 2.37%. Commodity and Crypto-based funds saw modest gains of 0.61% and 0.42% respectively.
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Investors allocated a net $791 million to the Buffer ETF channel this week, with demand heavily concentrated in equity strategies. Equity-based funds attracted $808 million in new assets, while the small Fixed Income segment saw outflows of $24 million. Looking at outcome periods, funds with a July reset date led the way by gathering $255 million, followed by strategies with Quarterly and Laddered resets.
Flows by Asset Class
| Asset Class | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity | 479 | $92.92B | $808M | $1,905M | $4,676M | $8,747M | $14,476M |
| Crypto | 20 | $177M | $4M | -$1M | -$3M | -$5M | -$100M |
| Commodity | 1 | $51M | $2M | $2M | $1M | -$0M | -$11M |
| Fixed Income | 2 | $20M | -$24M | -$6M | -$10M | -$12M | -$18M |
Flows by Outcome Period / Strategy
| Outcome Period / Strategy | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer Reset: July | 41 | $5.82B | $255M | $156M | -$159M | -$526M | $210M |
| Buffer Reset: Quarterly | 34 | $8.30B | $230M | $347M | $986M | $1,661M | $2,912M |
| Buffer Reset: Laddered | 28 | $17.39B | $173M | $547M | $1,474M | $2,567M | $4,297M |
| Buffer Reset: June | 40 | $6.16B | $144M | $1,519M | $1,841M | $1,799M | $1,624M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 8 | $2.07B | $62M | $113M | $188M | $328M | $671M |
| Buffer Reset: May | 34 | $5.04B | $61M | $155M | $2,003M | $1,944M | $1,764M |
| Buffer Reset: March | 31 | $5.06B | $11M | $30M | $266M | $575M | $279M |
| Buffer Reset: April | 45 | $5.51B | $9M | $100M | $811M | $634M | $157M |
| Buffer Reset: September | 30 | $5.05B | $5M | -$181M | -$590M | -$714M | $770M |
| Buffer Reset: Daily | 4 | $8M | $1M | $0M | $1M | $4M | -$11M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 1 | $38M | $0M | $1M | -$6M | -$4M | -$2M |
| Buffer Reset: Semi-Annually | 9 | $894M | -$6M | $4M | -$16M | -$11M | $25M |
| Buffer Reset: February | 25 | $4.86B | -$13M | -$10M | $140M | $1,066M | $332M |
| Buffer Reset: August | 24 | $3.87B | -$16M | -$148M | -$264M | -$542M | $262M |
| Buffer Reset: December | 34 | $6.25B | -$24M | -$201M | -$718M | -$204M | -$187M |
| Buffer Reset: October | 44 | $5.58B | -$24M | -$336M | -$687M | -$949M | $307M |
| Buffer Reset: November | 26 | $4.17B | -$33M | -$125M | -$311M | -$260M | $737M |
| Buffer Reset: January | 44 | $7.11B | -$44M | -$72M | -$298M | $1,360M | $199M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT) was the most popular fund this week, attracting $110 million in new capital. Strong demand was also seen for the FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF (BUFR) with $94 million in inflows, followed closely by two Innovator July-reset funds. On the other side of the ledger, the TrueShares Structured Outcome (July) ETF (JULZ) experienced the largest redemption at $31 million. The Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF – November (DDFN) followed with outflows of $28 million.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| BALT | Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | $110M |
| BUFR | FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | $94M |
| PJUL | Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – July | $90M |
| UJUL | Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF – July | $76M |
| SNTH | MRP SynthEquity ETF | $55M |
| Outflows | ||
| JULZ | TrueShares Structured Outcome (July) ETF | -$31M |
| DDFN | Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF – November | -$28M |
| TBJL | Innovator 20+ Year Treasury Bond 9 Buffer ETF – July | -$24M |
| PAUG | Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – August | -$15M |
| IJUN | Innovator International Developed Power Buffer ETF- June | -$12M |
Note: the following fund(s) were excluded from the flow totals above because the weekly flow exceeds 75% of the fund’s AUM and may be the result of a custom rebalance: PSTP (-$131M), BSTP (-$59M), QBUF (-$157M), JAJL (-$244M), RBUF (-$85M), IBUF (-$100M).
Issuer League Table Update
The Buffer ETF market remains dominated by two primary issuers, with FT Vest holding a 49.0% market share and Innovator controlling 36.6% of assets. This week, FT Vest led all issuers in asset gathering, pulling in a net $321 million. Innovator was a close second, attracting $301 million in new investments. TrueShares registered the largest net outflows for the week, shedding $35 million.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Issuer | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Vest | 120 | $46.00B | 48.95% |
| Innovator | 160 | $34.36B | 36.56% |
| Allianz | 58 | $5.77B | 6.14% |
| AB Funds | 3 | $1.62B | 1.73% |
| PGIM | 43 | $1.45B | 1.54% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Issuer | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| FT Vest | $321M |
| Innovator | $301M |
| PGIM | $64M |
| Outflows | |
| TrueShares | -$35M |
| Calamos | -$4M |
| Corgi | -$0M |
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.
