Weekly Channel Summary
The EQ: Specialty ETF channel currently oversees $14.2B in total assets across 75 ETFs and 53 distinct issuers. During the final week of the year and into the new year’s start, the channel experienced a healthy wave of activity with $151M in total net weekly inflows. This performance brings the Year-to-Date (YTD) flow total to $14M, while the trailing 1-year period remains robust with $3,327M in total net creations, signaling sustained long-term interest in specialty strategies despite a relatively quiet start to the calendar year.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Performance across the specialty categories was generally negative this week. The Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category emerged as the relative leader, declining only -0.33%. Meanwhile, the Equity: Specialty – Hedged category was the primary laggard, falling -0.89%. Despite the weekly dip, both categories remain in positive territory for the early YTD period, with Long | Short leading at 0.38% compared to 0.17% for Hedged strategies.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | -0.33% | 1.00% | 0.54% | 4.52% | 0.38% | 7.94% |
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | -0.89% | 0.31% | 1.30% | 8.09% | 0.17% | 12.19% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
At the individual fund level, the CBLS (Clough Hedged Equity ETF) was the top performer this week, gaining 1.04%. On the downside, the FORH (Formidable ETF) and MSTQ (LHA Market State Tactical Q ETF) were the notable laggards, falling -2.37% and -2.02%, respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| CBLS | Clough Hedged Equity ETF | 1.04% |
| HFSP | TradersAl Large Cap Equity & Cash ETF | 0.87% |
| HOLA | JPMorgan International Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF | 0.53% |
| IALT | iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF | 0.52% |
| FFLS | Future Fund Long/Short ETF | 0.39% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| FORH | Formidable ETF | -2.37% |
| MSTQ | LHA Market State Tactical Q ETF | -2.02% |
| PRAE | PlanRock Alternative Growth ETF | -1.73% |
| SPYC | Simplify US Equity PLUS Convexity ETF | -1.73% |
| SPUC | Simplify US Equity PLUS Upside Convexity ETF | -1.62% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The channel recorded a net flow of $151M this week, largely driven by Equity: Specialty – Hedged strategies which captured $137M in net new assets, maintaining a dominant AUM of $10.2B. The Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category also saw positive engagement, adding $15M. While neither category saw net outflows at the aggregate level, individual fund activity showed significant repositioning as the year turned.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | 50 | $10.2B | $137M | $449M | $808M | $9M | $2,770M |
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | 24 | $3.9B | $15M | $68M | $237M | $5M | $557M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The top individual inflow recipient was the MSTQ (LHA Market State Tactical Q ETF), which saw a massive $119M in new creations. Conversely, the largest outflows were seen in the CTEF (Castellan Targeted Equity ETF) with -$9M and PRAE (PlanRock Alternative Growth ETF) with -$7M.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| MSTQ | LHA Market State Tactical Q ETF | $119M |
| HELO | JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF | $17M |
| FTLS | First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF | $7M |
| SPD | Simplify US Equity PLUS Downside Convexity ETF | $5M |
| PHEQ | Parametric Hedged Equity ETF | $5M |
| Outflows | ||
| CTEF | Castellan Targeted Equity ETF | -$9M |
| PRAE | PlanRock Alternative Growth ETF | -$7M |
| BTAL | AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund | -$5M |
| LBAY | Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF | -$2M |
| HEGD | Swan Hedged Equity US Large Cap ETF | -$2M |
Issuer League Table Update
JPMorgan remains the dominant force in the specialty channel with a 27.49% market share, followed by First Trust at 15.23%. During this week, Little Harbor Advisors gathered the most significant weekly inflows with $119M (via MSTQ), while JPMorgan continued its steady accumulation with $17M. On the opposite end, Castellan saw the largest outflows among top issuers, losing -$9M in net assets.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan | 3 | $3.90B | 27.49% |
| First Trust | 1 | $2.16B | 15.23% |
| Fidelity | 2 | $0.78B | 5.51% |
| Simplify | 5 | $0.65B | 4.61% |
| Swan | 1 | $0.60B | 4.24% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| Little Harbor Advisors | $119M |
| JPMorgan | $17M |
| First Trust | $7M |
| Outflows | |
| Castellan | -$9M |
| PlanRock | -$7M |
| AGF | -$5M |
For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth 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.
