Weekly Channel Summary
The Alternative ETF channel currently tracks 47 ETFs across 28 distinct issuers, commanding a total Assets Under Management (AUM) of $11.7B. Momentum continues to build in the space, with the channel capturing +$105M in 5-day net flows. This pushes Year-to-Date (YTD) flows to a healthy +$1.07B and 1-year trailing flows to a massive +$5.15B, indicating sustained advisor and institutional interest in alternative strategies to navigate current market conditions.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
This week showcased the inverse relationship between the Volatility categories. “Volatility – Long” extended its winning streak, jumping +2.90% for the week to push its YTD gain to an impressive +35.35%. Conversely, “Volatility – Short” dropped -2.00% WTD, sinking further into negative territory at -15.63% YTD. Within the Absolute Return segments, “Event Driven” was the sole bright spot, eking out a +0.14% WTD return while Managed Futures and Multi-Strategy lost ground.
Absolute Return Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | +0.14% | -0.17% | +0.53% | +2.63% | +0.48% | +7.46% |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | -0.22% | -1.74% | -0.15% | -0.16% | -0.49% | +5.24% |
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | -1.09% | +2.27% | +9.42% | +13.76% | +9.16% | +14.30% |
Volatility Category Performance
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | +2.90% | +28.39% | +29.22% | +4.91% | +35.35% | -24.64% |
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | -2.00% | -12.35% | -14.35% | -10.12% | -15.63% | -11.13% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The single best-performing product this week was the Opportunistic Trader ETF (WZRD), surging +5.89%. On the other end of the spectrum, the -1x Short VIX Futures ETF (SVIX) suffered the worst loss at -4.91% due to the Volatility Short category’s broad weakness, closely followed by the Unlimited HFMF Managed Futures ETF (HFMF), which fell -3.95% as the Managed Futures category broadly declined.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 Performers | ||
| WZRD | Opportunistic Trader ETF | +5.89% |
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | +4.34% |
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | +3.71% |
| VXX | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | +2.99% |
| VIXY | ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | +2.96% |
| Bottom 5 Performers | ||
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | -4.91% |
| HFMF | Unlimited HFMF Managed Futures ETF | -3.95% |
| WTIP | WisdomTree Inflation Plus Fund | -2.75% |
| DBMF | IMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | -2.57% |
| SDMF | Simplify DBI CTA Managed Futures Index ETF | -2.52% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The channel gathered a net +$105M over the past 5 days. The biggest driver of inflows was the “Absolute Return – Managed Futures” category, which pulled in +$143M. This indicates a contrarian capital deployment trend, as investors bought the dip during a week where the category posted a -1.09% loss. Meanwhile, the “Volatility – Long” category saw the heaviest outflows at -$103M. Given the category’s strong WTD (+2.90%) and YTD (+35.35%) performance, these outflows strongly suggest investors are aggressively taking profits. Across the board, Absolute Return categories all posted positive net flows (Managed Futures +$143M, Multi-Strategy +$15M, Event Driven +$2M).
Absolute Return Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Return – Managed Futures | 16 | $6.4B | +$143M | +$925M | +$1,391M | +$1,361M | +$3,082M |
| Absolute Return – Multi-Strategy | 11 | $2.0B | +$15M | +$95M | +$51M | +$105M | +$346M |
| Absolute Return – Event Driven | 9 | $0.5B | +$2M | +$6M | -$2M | -$11M | +$28M |
Volatility Category Flows
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative: Volatility – Short | 5 | $1.2B | +$49M | +$202M | +$96M | +$151M | -$483M |
| Alternative: Volatility – Long | 6 | $1.8B | -$103M | -$390M | -$483M | -$538M | +$2,172M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF (CTA) led all individual products, gathering +$57M in new assets over the trailing 5 days. Conversely, the iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX) and the 2x Long VIX Futures ETF (UVIX) suffered the most severe net redemptions, losing -$43M and -$31M respectively as Volatility Long investors liquidated positions.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 Inflows | ||
| CTA | Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF | +$57M |
| DBMF | IMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF | +$47M |
| SVIX | -1x Short VIX Futures ETF | +$45M |
| ISMF | iShares Managed Futures Active ETF | +$25M |
| FLSP | Franklin Systematic Style Premia ETF | +$9M |
| Top 5 Outflows | ||
| VXX | iPath Series B S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | -$43M |
| UVIX | 2x Long VIX Futures ETF | -$31M |
| UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | -$18M |
| VIXY | ProShares VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | -$11M |
| AHLT | American Beacon AHL Trend ETF | -$3M |
Issuer League Table Update
iM and Simplify continue to dominate the Alternative channel, maintaining their status as the top 2 issuers. iM leads with 27.94% market share ($3.27B AUM), while Simplify holds 17.79% market share ($2.08B AUM). Issuer flow metrics further reinforce this concentration: Simplify captured the most weekly inflows at +$60M, closely followed by iM. On the downside, iPath sustained the largest aggregate outflows for the week at -$43M.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| iM | 1 | $3.27B | 27.94% |
| Simplify | 4 | $2.08B | 17.79% |
| New York Life Investments | 2 | $1.01B | 8.67% |
| ProShares | 6 | $0.85B | 7.28% |
| Volatility Shares | 3 | $0.73B | 6.22% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Top 3 Inflows | |
| Simplify | +$60M |
| iM | +$47M |
| iShares | +$25M |
| Top 3 Outflows | |
| iPath | -$43M |
| ProShares | -$29M |
| American Beacon | -$3M |
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.
