Weekly Channel Summary
The EQ: Specialty ETF channel currently manages approximately $14.2 billion in assets across 74 ETFs from 52 distinct brands. This past week, the channel demonstrated steady momentum with $81 million in net inflows, contributing to a robust Year-to-Date (YTD) flow total of $3.21 billion. Over the past year, the channel has attracted a total of $3.27 billion in new capital, underscoring continued investor interest in specialized strategies as market participants seek hedged and alternative equity exposure.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Performance across the Specialty landscape was positive this week, led by the Equity: Specialty – Hedged category, which posted a Week-to-Date (WTD) return of 1.05%. This segment remains the primary performance driver for the channel with a significant YTD return of 13.11%. In contrast, the Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category lagged slightly with a 0.81% return for the week, though it maintains a solid 8.47% gain for the year.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | 1.05% | 1.36% | 3.18% | 10.02% | 13.11% | 10.89% |
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | 0.81% | 1.13% | 0.80% | 4.87% | 8.47% | 7.16% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
Individual fund performance was highlighted by the PRAE (PlanRock Alternative Growth ETF), which delivered a channel-leading 2.28% return this week. On the downside, the HFSP (TradersAI Large Cap Equity & Cash ETF) and the SHRT (Gotham Short Strategies ETF) struggled, posting weekly returns of -0.76% and -0.32% respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| PRAE | PlanRock Alternative Growth ETF | 2.28% |
| SPYC | Simplify US Equity PLUS Convexity ETF | 2.16% |
| SPUC | Simplify US Equity PLUS Upside Convexity ETF | 1.97% |
| UPSD | Aptus Large Cap Upside ETF | 1.83% |
| HFEQ | Unlimited HFEQ Equity Long/Short ETF | 1.76% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| HFSP | TradersAI Large Cap Equity & Cash ETF | -0.76% |
| SHRT | Gotham Short Strategies ETF | -0.32% |
| BTAL | AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund | -0.20% |
| MKTN | Federated Hermes MDT Market Neutral ETF | -0.15% |
| EMPB | Efficient Market Portfolio Plus ETF Trust Units | -0.14% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The channel recorded $81 million in total net flows this week. The Equity: Specialty – Hedged category dominated inflows, capturing $76 million and bringing its total AUM to $10.3 billion. The Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category also saw positive movement with $6 million in weekly inflows, while broader market neutral strategies faced some pressure.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | 50 | $10.3B | $76M | $302M | $736M | $2,642M | $2,660M |
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | 20 | $3.9B | $6M | $49M | $191M | $534M | $573M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The PVEX (TrueShares Convex Protect ETF) was the week’s clear inflow leader with $43 million in new assets. Conversely, the BTAL (AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund) and the FHEQ (Fidelity Hedged Equity ETF) saw the largest net outflows, losing $11 million and $2 million respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| PVEX | TrueShares Convex Protect ETF | $43M |
| THEQ | T. Rowe Price Hedged Equity ETF | $11M |
| PRAE | PlanRock Alternative Growth ETF | $9M |
| HELO | JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF | $8M |
| MKTN | Federated Hermes MDT Market Neutral ETF | $7M |
| Outflows | ||
| BTAL | AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund | -$11M |
| FHEQ | Fidelity Hedged Equity ETF | -$2M |
| HEQQ | JPMorgan Nasdaq Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF | -$1M |
| CSM | ProShares Large Cap Core Plus | -$1M |
| FBUF | Fidelity Dynamic Buffered Equity ETF | -$1M |
Issuer League Table Update
JPMorgan and First Trust continue to lead the channel by market share, holding 27.41% and 15.18% of assets respectively. In terms of weekly activity, TrueShares secured the most inflows with $43 million, while AGF saw the largest outflows among top issuers, shedding $11 million this week.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan | 3 | $3.92B | 27.41% |
| First Trust | 1 | $2.17B | 15.18% |
| Fidelity | 2 | $0.79B | 5.50% |
| Simplify | 5 | $0.65B | 4.56% |
| Swan | 1 | $0.61B | 4.25% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| TrueShares | $43M |
| JPMorgan | $12M |
| T. Rowe Price | $11M |
| Outflows | |
| AGF | -$11M |
| Fidelity | -$3M |
| ProShares | -$1M |
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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.
