Macro Summary
The Buffer ETF landscape continues to expand, now holding a total AUM of $91B across 503 ETFs from 20 different issuers. Over the past week, the category attracted net flows of $0.20B, pushing the year-to-date total to an impressive $6.24B.
Looking at a broader timeframe, the past year has seen robust total flows of $13.30B, signaling sustained investor appetite for defined outcome strategies. This trend is mirrored by rapid product development, with 38 new ETFs launched in just the last three months.
Performance
Performance within the Buffer ETF space remains highly idiosyncratic based on the underlying exposure. This week, Equity: U.S. Large Cap – Growth and Equity: Thematic – Multi-Sector led the pack with positive Week-to-Date (WTD) returns of +0.66% and +0.30%, respectively. Conversely, Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals and Equity: Emerging Large Cap were the weakest segments, posting returns of -3.61% and -3.21%.
Dive deeper into the return profiles across different buffer levels, outcome periods, and underlying assets. Access the full, free performance report in the right-side panel for a complete breakdown of risk-adjusted returns and category averages.
Flows
Equity-based strategies dominated asset class flows, while the “May Reset” outcome period saw the highest activity. Among individual funds, GMAY led the charge, capturing the largest single-fund inflows for the week.
Flows by Asset Class
| Asset Class | # of Funds | AUM | WTD Flow | 1M Flow | 3M Flow | YTD Flow | 1Y Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer – Commodity | 1 | $50M | $0M | ($2M) | $2M | ($4M) | ($3M) |
| Buffer – Crypto | 20 | $194M | $3M | $0M | $5M | ($2M) | $68M |
| Buffer – Equity | 447 | $90,232M | $168M | $989M | $3,904M | $5,954M | $12,823M |
| Buffer – Fixed Income | 2 | $30M | $0M | ($1M) | $0M | ($2M) | ($38M) |
| Buffer – Synthetic Income | 18 | $740M | $18M | $60M | $63M | $169M | $330M |
Flows by Implementation (Outcome Period)
| Implementation | WTD Flow | 1M Flow | 3M Flow | YTD Flow | 1Y Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflows | |||||
| Buffer Reset: May | $229M | $1,163M | $1,259M | $1,217M | $1,183M |
| Buffer Reset: Laddered | $104M | $644M | $1,373M | $1,882M | $3,962M |
| Buffer Reset: March | $38M | $274M | $753M | $658M | $458M |
| Outflows | |||||
| Buffer Reset: September | ($105M) | ($362M) | ($454M) | ($506M) | $967M |
| Buffer Reset: December | ($41M) | ($491M) | ($304M) | $41M | ($46M) |
| Buffer Reset: October | ($34M) | ($255M) | ($354M) | ($562M) | $674M |
Individual Fund Flows (WTD)
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 Inflows | ||
| GMAY | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – May | $115M |
| PMAY | Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – May | $42M |
| IMAR | Innovator International Developed Power Buffer ETF March | $30M |
| BUFR | FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | $25M |
| FFEB | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer Fund – February | $18M |
| Top 5 Outflows | ||
| GSEP | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – September | ($95M) |
| POCT | Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – October | ($33M) |
| ZALT | Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF – Quarterly | ($18M) |
| DECZ | TrueShares Structured Outcome (December) ETF | ($17M) |
| AUGZ | TrueShares Structured Outcome (August) ETF | ($12M) |
League Tables
FT Vest and Innovator continue to dominate the competitive landscape, holding the #1 and #2 spots by AUM, respectively. FT Vest captured the highest weekly flows at $91M, expanding its leading $44.58B asset base, while Innovator brought in a solid $46M.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Issuer | # of ETFs | AUM | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Vest | 122 | $44.58B | 48.79% |
| Innovator | 170 | $33.36B | 36.51% |
| Allianz | 58 | $5.61B | 6.13% |
| AB Funds | 3 | $1.58B | 1.73% |
| Pacer | 17 | $1.31B | 1.44% |
Issuer Flows (WTD)
| Issuer | WTD Flow | 1M Flow | 3M Flow | YTD Flow | 1Y Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflows | |||||
| FT Vest | $91M | $740M | $1.95B | $2.66B | $5.65B |
| PGIM | $50M | $113M | $0.27B | $0.41B | $0.74B |
| Innovator | $46M | $311M | $1.27B | $2.11B | $4.39B |
| Outflows | |||||
| TrueShares | -$28M | $182M | $0.26B | $0.27B | $0.42B |
| iShares | -$1M | -$192M | ($0.14B) | ($0.06B) | $0.09B |
| KraneShares | $0M | $0M | $0.00B | $0.00B | $0.00B |
Explore the data behind the insights. This weekly recap is just the start. Access the complete, in-depth reports for FREE in the right side panel to analyze performance, track flows, and view the latest league tables.
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.
