iShares Dominates Specialty Equity Flows as IALT Captures Over Half of Weekly Take

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Weekly Channel Summary

The Specialty Equity ETF channel, comprising 81 funds from 52 issuers, holds a total of $22.33 billion in assets under management. The segment continued its strong asset-gathering trend, adding $144 million in net inflows over the past week. This brings year-to-date inflows to a robust $7.28 billion, building on a one-year total of $8.88 billion.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Both Specialty Equity categories posted gains for the week, led by Long | Short strategies which returned 1.29%. The Hedged category also performed well, rising 0.99% over the same period. Year-to-date, Long | Short funds have maintained a significant performance lead, up 10.35% compared to a 7.29% gain for Hedged strategies.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
Long | Short 1.29% 2.32% 3.38% 8.71% 10.35% 18.76%
Hedged 0.99% 2.96% 7.04% 5.73% 7.29% 16.01%

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance

The ProShares Long Online/Short Stores ETF (CLIX) was the week’s top-performing fund, delivering a 3.38% return. Also posting a strong gain was the WisdomTree Efficient Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund (WTLS), which rose 3.32%. In stark contrast, the Anfield Enhanced Market ETF (AEMS) was the worst performer with a significant weekly decline of 8.91%.

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
CLIX ProShares Long Online/Short Stores ETF 3.38%
WTLS WisdomTree Efficient Long/Short U.S. Equity Fund 3.32%
CLSE Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF 2.74%
NLSI NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF 2.42%
HBTA Horizon Expedition Plus ETF 2.28%
Bottom Performers
AEMS Anfield Enhanced Market ETF -8.91%
LBAY Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF -1.95%
CBLS Clough Hedged Equity ETF -1.47%
HELS Hedgeye 130/30 Equity ETF -1.04%
HFSP TradersAI Large Cap Equity & Cash ETF -1.01%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

Investors allocated a net $144 million to Specialty Equity ETFs this week, continuing a positive trend for the channel. The Long | Short category was the primary beneficiary, attracting $86 million in new assets. Hedged strategies also saw positive interest, pulling in the remaining $59 million for the week.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
Long | Short 28 $10.79B $86M $1,389M $5,876M $6,586M $6,859M
Hedged 53 $11.55B $59M $157M $199M $689M $2,026M

Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow

The iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF (IALT) single-handedly drove much of the week’s activity, attracting $76 million in inflows. On the redemption side, the Simplify Hedged Equity ETF (HEQT) experienced the largest outflows at -$16 million. The Militia Long/Short Equity ETF (ORR) followed with the second-largest withdrawal of -$6 million.

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
IALT iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF $76M
HELO JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF $34M
BFLX iShares Flexible Equity Active ETF $13M
MRSK Toews Agility Shares Managed Risk ETF $13M
KSPY KraneShares Hedgeye Hedged Equity Index ETF $12M
Outflows
HEQT Simplify Hedged Equity ETF -$16M
ORR Militia Long/Short Equity ETF -$6M
MSTB LHA Market State Tactical Beta ETF -$2M
HEFT Hedgeye Fourth Turning ETF -$2M
SPD Simplify US Equity PLUS Downside Convexity ETF -$1M

Issuer League Table Update

iShares continues to lead the Specialty Equity space with a 25.66% market share and was also the top asset gatherer this week, bringing in $89 million. JPMorgan holds the second-largest position with 19.15% of the channel’s AUM and also saw positive inflows of $34 million. Conversely, Simplify recorded the largest net outflows among issuers, with investors pulling -$17 million from its funds.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
iShares 2 $5.73B 25.66%
JPMorgan 3 $4.28B 19.15%
First Trust 1 $2.43B 10.88%
Fidelity 2 $927M 4.15%
Convergence 1 $736M 3.30%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
iShares $89M
JPMorgan $34M
Toews $13M
Outflows
Simplify -$17M
Militia -$6M
Little Harbor Advisors -$2M

For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth EQ: Specialty 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.