Weekly Channel Summary
The Alternatives channel, comprising 47 ETFs from 26 issuers, holds a total of $12.91 billion in assets under management. The category attracted $125 million in net inflows over the past week, contributing to a year-to-date total of $3.32 billion. Over the last twelve months, investors have allocated $5.30 billion to Alternatives ETFs.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
A surge in market volatility drove performance, with the Volatility – Long category jumping 8.03% for the week. This marks a sharp reversal for the group, which remains down over 23% year-to-date. Managed Futures also posted a positive week, gaining 1.38% and building on its strong 9.14% return for the year. In contrast, the Volatility – Short category was the worst performer, declining 2.39%.
Absolute Return Performance Snapshot
| Absolute Return | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed Futures | 1.38% | 0.83% | 1.54% | 6.63% | 9.14% | 19.56% |
| Event Driven | -0.03% | 0.65% | 0.68% | 1.87% | 2.30% | 4.41% |
| Multi-Strategy | -0.30% | -0.93% | 1.25% | 3.80% | 5.85% | 14.93% |
Volatility Performance Snapshot
| Volatility | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol – Long | 8.03% | -6.27% | -27.96% | -22.72% | -23.26% | -59.43% |
| Vol – Short | -2.39% | 1.92% | 10.48% | 0.15% | 1.15% | 22.80% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The week’s top-performing funds were exclusively focused on long volatility exposure, reflecting a spike in market uncertainty. The 2x Long VIX Futures ETF (UVIX) led all funds with a 12.66% gain, followed closely by other products like the ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (UVXY). Conversely, funds designed to short volatility saw the largest losses, with the -1x Short VIX Futures ETF (SVIX) falling 6.47%.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | 12.66% |
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | 9.75% |
| VIXY | ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | 6.44% |
| VXX | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | 6.39% |
| CTA | Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF | 4.79% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | -6.47% |
| SVXY | ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | -3.31% |
| TFPN | Blueprint Chesapeake Multi-Asset Trend ETF | -2.65% |
| JPFP | JPMorgan Managed Futures Plus ETF | -2.05% |
| ASGM | Virtus AlphaSimplex Global Macro ETF | -1.94% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Investors added a net $125 million to the Alternatives channel this week, with Managed Futures funds leading the way by a significant margin. The category collected $72 million, continuing its impressive asset-gathering streak which now stands at nearly $2.5 billion for the year. Traders also positioned for further uncertainty, allocating $42 million to Volatility – Long funds, while Volatility – Short products saw modest outflows of $3 million.
Absolute Return Flows Summary
| Absolute Return | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed Futures | 16 | $7.40B | $72M | $19M | $738M | $2,499M | $3,561M |
| Multi-Strategy | 12 | $2.78B | $10M | $266M | $696M | $859M | $1,077M |
| Event Driven | 8 | $426M | $4M | -$3M | -$10M | -$28M | $2M |
Volatility Flows Summary
| Volatility | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol – Long | 6 | $1.21B | $42M | -$3M | $375M | $116M | $1,181M |
| Vol – Short | 5 | $1.09B | -$3M | -$62M | -$218M | -$129M | -$519M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF (DBMF) was the week’s most popular fund, attracting $58 million in new capital. Following the broader performance trend, investors also added assets to long volatility funds, including $22 million into the ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF (UVXY). Outflows were minimal across the channel, with the Simplify Volatility Premium ETF (SVOL) and -1x Short VIX Futures ETF (SVIX) seeing the largest redemptions at just $5 million each.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| DBMF | iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | $58M |
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | $22M |
| VXX | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | $20M |
| CTA | Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF | $9M |
| LALT | First Trust Multi-Strategy Alternative ETF | $6M |
| Outflows | ||
| SVOL | Simplify Volatility Premium ETF | -$5M |
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | -$5M |
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | -$2M |
| TFPN | Blueprint Chesapeake Multi-Asset Trend ETF | -$1M |
| ARB | AltShares Merger Arbitrage ETF | -$1M |
Issuer League Table Update
iM remains the dominant issuer in the Alternatives space, commanding a 30.30% market share with its single fund, followed by Simplify at 16.82%. iM also led weekly inflows, collecting $58 million, while ProShares came in second with $30 million in new assets. On the other side of the ledger, Volatility Shares saw the largest outflows among issuers, though the total was a modest $5 million.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| iM | 1 | $3.91B | 30.30% |
| Simplify | 5 | $2.17B | 16.82% |
| New York Life Investments | 2 | $1.26B | 9.76% |
| Franklin | 1 | $1.01B | 7.80% |
| First Trust | 4 | $738M | 5.72% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| iM | $58M |
| ProShares | $30M |
| iPath | $20M |
| Outflows | |
| Volatility Shares | -$5M |
| Blueprint | -$1M |
| Altshares | -$1M |
For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Alternative 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.
