Weekly Channel Summary
The Buffer channel ended the week with $104.33B in AUM spread across 554 ETFs from 22 issuers. Weekly net inflows totaled $2,157M, extending a strong year with YTD inflows of $16,341M and 1-Year inflows of $17,989M. The channel’s steady growth trajectory reflects continued investor demand for defined-outcome strategies amid ongoing equity market volatility. Flow momentum has been broad-based across the year, with the 5-Day figure representing a meaningful acceleration relative to trailing 30-day trends.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Fixed Income led category performance this week at 1.92% WTD, though it remains deeply negative on a YTD basis at -5.01%, reflecting its small two-fund footprint and distinct risk profile versus the broader buffer universe. Equity, the dominant category by fund count (531 funds), posted a modest WTD decline of -0.96% but maintains the strongest YTD return among major categories at 8.27% and a 1-Year gain of 11.23%. Crypto funds slipped -0.33% WTD and remain the weakest performer over longer horizons, down -5.12% YTD and -14.86% over one year. Commodity, represented by a single fund, also declined -0.76% WTD. The standout fund of the week was FOCT, which combined strong flow activity with its October reset cycle taking effect.
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The Buffer channel generated $2,157M in net inflows over the past five trading days, with Equity funds overwhelmingly driving the total at $2,160M, offsetting a small -$5M outflow from Crypto. By outcome period, the Buffer Reset: October cohort led all strategies with $1,872M in weekly inflows, supported by its 46 funds resetting into new outcome periods this cycle. The Buffer Reset: Laddered segment added a further $130M, while Buffer Reset: Quarterly contributed $75M. On the other end, Buffer Reset: March saw the largest outflow among outcome-period segments at -$30M, followed by modest redemptions from the January and November reset cohorts.
Flows by Asset Class
| Asset Class | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity | 531 | $104.11B | $2,160M | $3,638M | $6,996M | $16,399M | $18,003M |
| Commodity | 1 | $55M | $2M | $2M | $4M | $4M | $21M |
| Fixed Income | 2 | $19M | $1M | $5M | $1M | -$13M | -$27M |
| Crypto | 20 | $146M | -$5M | -$13M | -$36M | -$49M | -$8M |
Flows by Outcome Period / Strategy
| Outcome Period / Strategy | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer Reset: October | 46 | $7.90B | $1,872M | $2,282M | $2,172M | $1,177M | $826M |
| Buffer Reset: Laddered | 29 | $19.57B | $130M | $504M | $1,443M | $4,179M | $5,018M |
| Buffer Reset: Quarterly | 43 | $9.91B | $75M | $473M | $983M | $2,735M | $3,221M |
| Buffer Reset: December | 34 | $6.22B | $36M | -$36M | -$168M | -$437M | $54M |
| Buffer Reset: September | 40 | $6.64B | $25M | $687M | $1,414M | $700M | $787M |
| Buffer Reset: July | 54 | $7.29B | $24M | $138M | $871M | $766M | $217M |
| Buffer Reset: August | 35 | $5.11B | $16M | $200M | $1,144M | $587M | $523M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 11 | $2.44B | $13M | $43M | $85M | $453M | $577M |
| Buffer Reset: April | 45 | $5.65B | $7M | -$83M | -$30M | $618M | $587M |
| Buffer Reset: May | 34 | $4.97B | $4M | -$78M | -$150M | $1,745M | $1,721M |
| Buffer Reset: Semi-Annually | 10 | $1.23B | $3M | $11M | $48M | $47M | $64M |
| Buffer Reset: June | 40 | $6.50B | $3M | -$87M | -$56M | $1,989M | $1,750M |
| Buffer Reset: Daily | 4 | $10M | $1M | $2M | $3M | $7M | $6M |
| Buffer Reset: Dynamic | 1 | $39M | $0M | -$1M | $0M | -$3M | -$3M |
| Buffer Reset: Monthly | 2 | $2M | $0M | $2M | $2M | $2M | $2M |
| Buffer Reset: February | 25 | $4.75B | -$1M | -$208M | -$232M | $817M | $500M |
| Buffer Reset: November | 26 | $4.01B | -$6M | -$127M | -$184M | -$553M | $776M |
| Buffer Reset: January | 44 | $7.01B | -$15M | -$77M | -$267M | $1,054M | $835M |
| Buffer Reset: March | 31 | $5.09B | -$30M | -$14M | -$113M | $458M | $527M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
FOCT led all funds by a wide margin, pulling in $1,107M for the week as its October outcome period reset. DOCT and GOCT followed with $362M and $204M respectively, reinforcing the October reset theme. On the outflow side, Innovator Growth-100 Power Buffer ETF – March (NMAR) led redemptions at -$17M, while AB Conservative Buffer ETF (BUFC) shed -$9M.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| FOCT | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – October | $1,107M |
| DOCT | FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF – October | $362M |
| GOCT | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – October | $204M |
| BUFR | FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | $53M |
| GDEC | FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF – December | $45M |
| Outflows | ||
| NMAR | Innovator Growth-100 Power Buffer ETF – March | -$17M |
| BUFC | AB Conservative Buffer ETF | -$9M |
| QMAR | FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Buffer ETF – March | -$8M |
| QSPT | FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Buffer ETF – September | -$7M |
| JANT | AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer10 Jan ETF | -$6M |
Issuer League Table Update
FT Vest remains the dominant issuer in the Buffer channel with $51.64B in AUM, representing a 49.50% share, followed by Innovator at $37.54B and a 35.98% share. FT Vest also captured the bulk of this week’s inflows, gathering $1,949M across its lineup, led by its October-dated suite of funds. Innovator added a further $141M in net inflows, while PGIM contributed $26M. On the outflow side, AB Funds posted the largest weekly redemption among issuers at -$9M, followed by smaller outflows from Calamos at -$3M and First Trust at -$1M.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Issuer | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Vest | 122 | $51.64B | 49.50% |
| Innovator | 162 | $37.54B | 35.98% |
| Allianz | 60 | $6.14B | 5.89% |
| PGIM | 47 | $1.92B | 1.84% |
| AB Funds | 3 | $1.73B | 1.66% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Issuer | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| FT Vest | $1,949M |
| Innovator | $141M |
| PGIM | $26M |
| Outflows | |
| AB Funds | -$9M |
| Calamos | -$3M |
| First Trust | -$1M |
For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Buffer 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.
