Weekly Channel Summary
The Alternative ETF channel currently holds a total AUM of $11.1 billion across 47 ETFs, managed by 28 distinct issuers. This week, the channel saw robust net inflows of $559M. This 5-day flow represents a significant acceleration of capital deployment into the space, bringing Year-To-Date (YTD) flows to $786M, and total 1-Year flows up to an impressive $4.31B.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
Performance this week highlighted a stark inverse relationship between the “Volatility – Long” and “Volatility – Short” categories. Volatility – Long posted strong weekly gains of 2.33% (boosting its YTD return to 8.14%), while Volatility – Short declined by -1.24% (dragging its YTD return to -5.23%). Meanwhile, among the Absolute Return strategies, the Managed Futures category led the pack, continuing its strong run with a weekly return of 1.75%.
Absolute Return Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | 1.75% | 5.16% | 9.89% | 16.12% | 8.31% | 16.62% |
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | 0.04% | 0.16% | 0.94% | 3.14% | 0.69% | 7.87% |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | -0.06% | 0.40% | 1.32% | 3.52% | 1.72% | 7.42% |
Volatility Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | 2.33% | 5.04% | -13.87% | -26.91% | 8.14% | -43.61% |
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | -1.24% | -3.32% | 2.28% | 6.16% | -5.23% | -4.59% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The single best-performing ETF for the week was the WTIP (WisdomTree Inflation Plus Fund), surging 4.55%. It was closely followed by long volatility funds as the VIX spiked. Conversely, the two worst-performing ETFs were WZRD (Opportunistic Trader ETF), tumbling -7.65%, and SVIX (-1x Short VIX Futures ETF) at -2.63%, directly reflecting the pain in the short-volatility trade.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| WTIP | WisdomTree Inflation Plus Fund | 4.55% |
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | 3.26% |
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | 2.49% |
| AHLT | American Beacon AHL Trend ETF | 2.36% |
| ASMF | Virtus Alphasimplex Managed Futures ETF | 2.18% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| WZRD | Opportunistic Trader ETF | -7.65% |
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | -2.63% |
| ZVOL | Volatility Premium Plus ETF | -1.68% |
| SVXY | ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | -1.09% |
| SVOL | Simplify Volatility Premium ETF | -0.43% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
Net flows for the week totaled $559M. The Managed Futures category dominated, pulling in an impressive $530M as investors chased its strong recent momentum. Conversely, the largest outflows were seen in the Volatility – Short category, shedding ($36M). This behavior suggests aggressive risk-reduction and profit-taking by investors pivoting away from the short-vol trade due to this week’s WTD negative performance.
Absolute Return Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | 15 | $6.0B | $530M | $727M | $1,228M | $964M | $2,548M |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | 11 | $1.9B | $25M | $28M | ($5M) | $35M | $283M |
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | 9 | $0.5B | $1M | ($23M) | ($3M) | ($16M) | $31M |
Volatility Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | 6 | $1.6B | $39M | ($121M) | $244M | ($109M) | $1,816M |
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | 5 | $1.1B | ($36M) | ($29M) | ($222M) | ($88M) | ($369M) |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The standout ETF for inflows this week was DBMF, gathering a massive $521M (representing a stunning 19.94% of its AUM). On the outflow side, the top two bleeding assets were SVIX, losing ($26M), and SVXY, losing ($10M).
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| DBMF | IMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | $521M |
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | $44M |
| FLSP | Franklin Systematic Style Premia ETF | $22M |
| IMF | Invesco Managed Futures Strategy ETF | $6M |
| FMF | First Trust Managed Futures Strategy Fund | $5M |
| Outflows | ||
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | ($26M) |
| SVXY | ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | ($10M) |
| ASMF | Virtus Alphasimplex Managed Futures ETF | ($5M) |
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | ($4M) |
| VIXM | ProShares VIX Mid-Term Futures ETF | ($2M) |
Issuer League Table Update
iM firmly holds the crown as the dominant issuer by market share, capturing 28.20% of the space with a total AUM of $3.13B. Simplify sits in second place with 18.22% ($2.02B). On the flows side, iM recorded the most weekly inflows, pulling in $521M, whereas ProShares saw the largest outflows, bleeding ($16M) from its product suite over the past week.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| iM | 1 | $3.13B | 28.20% |
| Simplify | 4 | $2.02B | 18.22% |
| New York Life Investments | 2 | $1.04B | 9.34% |
| ProShares | 6 | $0.87B | 7.79% |
| iPath | 2 | $0.62B | 5.62% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| iM | $521M |
| Franklin | $22M |
| Volatility Shares | $18M |
| Outflows | |
| ProShares | ($16M) |
| Virtus | ($5M) |
| Opportunistic | $0M |
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.
