Weekly Channel Summary
The EQ: Specialty ETF channel oversees approximately $17 billion in total assets under management (AUM) across 79 distinct exchange-traded funds managed by 54 issuers. Over the past week, the channel attracted $81 million in net new inflows. Looking at broader timeframes, these strategies have maintained positive momentum, gathering $1.44 billion year-to-date and an impressive $2.23 billion over the trailing 1-year period.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Both underlying categories posted positive returns this week. The Equity: Specialty – Hedged category led the channel, advancing 0.67% for the week to bring its Year-to-Date (YTD) return to 6.10%. Meanwhile, the Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category slightly lagged with a weekly return of 0.33%, though it maintains a narrow edge in YTD performance at 6.14%.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | 0.67% | 2.97% | 4.37% | 9.11% | 6.10% | 18.68% |
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | 0.33% | 2.53% | 3.50% | 8.29% | 6.14% | 14.25% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The single best-performing ETF for the week was the NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF (NLSI), which delivered a strong 3.22% return. Conversely, notable downside volatility was seen in the Harbor Long-Short Equity ETF (LSEQ) and the Simplify VettaFi Private Credit Strategy ETF (PCR), making them the two worst-performing funds on the week.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| NLSI | NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF | 3.22% |
| GTPE | Goldman Sachs MSCI World Private Equity Return Tracker ETF | 2.63% |
| SHUS | Stratified LargeCap Hedged ETF | 2.46% |
| HFEQ | Unlimited HFEQ Equity Long/Short ETF | 2.32% |
| ISWN | Amplify BlackSwan ISWN ETF | 1.54% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| SHRT | Gotham Short Strategies ETF | -0.80% |
| ORR | Militia Long/Short Equity ETF | -0.92% |
| LBAY | Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF | -1.01% |
| PCR | Simplify VettaFi Private Credit Strategy ETF | -1.53% |
| LSEQ | Harbor Long-Short Equity ETF | -2.43% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The channel registered a total net flow of $81 million over the past 5 trading days. The Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category led asset gathering, pulling in the entirety of these positive flows ($81 million) and pushing its total AUM up to $5.1 billion. In contrast, the much larger Equity: Specialty – Hedged category, which manages $11.4 billion, finished the week completely flat with $0 million in net flows, representing a stall in its near-term asset gathering compared to prior months.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | 27 | $5.1B | $81M | $198M | $477M | $961M | $404M |
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | 52 | $11.4B | $0M | -$56M | $45M | $479M | $1,827M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
Drilling down to individual vehicles, the iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF (IALT) secured the top spot for asset gathering by bringing in $47 million over the past 5 days. Reversals were sharpest for the JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF (HELO) and the Militia Long/Short Equity ETF (ORR), which experienced the most severe weekly redemptions at -$20 million and -$5 million, respectively.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| IALT | iShares Systematic Alternatives Active ETF | $47M |
| CLSE | Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF | $21M |
| FTLS | First Trust Long/Short Equity ETF | $11M |
| HOLA | JPMorgan International Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF | $5M |
| FHEQ | Fidelity Hedged Equity ETF | $5M |
| Outflows | ||
| SPUC | Simplify US Equity PLUS Upside Convexity ETF | -$1M |
| HEFT | Hedgeye Fourth Turning ETF | -$1M |
| QBUL | TrueShares Quarterly Bull Hedge ETF | -$3M |
| ORR | Militia Long/Short Equity ETF | -$5M |
| HELO | JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF | -$20M |
Issuer League Table Update
The specialty category remains highly concentrated, with the top two issuers, JPMorgan and First Trust, commanding 26.47% and 14.11% of the total market share, respectively. In terms of weekly flow activity, iShares proved to be the most successful asset gatherer with $47 million in net inflows, while JPMorgan found itself at the bottom of the league table this week due to -$15 million in net redemptions.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan | 3 | $4.38B | 26.47% |
| First Trust | 1 | $2.34B | 14.11% |
| Fidelity | 2 | $0.89B | 5.37% |
| Alpha Architect | 2 | $0.68B | 4.13% |
| Swan | 1 | $0.68B | 4.12% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| iShares | $47M |
| Convergence | $21M |
| First Trust | $11M |
| Outflows | |
| Simplify | -$2M |
| Militia | -$5M |
| JPMorgan | -$15M |
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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.
