Macro Summary
The Buffer ETF channel currently holds $83.5B in total assets under management across 473 ETFs from 20 issuers. Over the past week, the category experienced robust demand, bringing in net flows of $528M and pushing the year-to-date total to $3.21B.
Zooming out, total flows over the past year have reached an impressive $12.48B, highlighting strong, sustained investor demand for defined outcome strategies. Product innovation and expansion remain robust, with 18 new ETFs launched in the past three months alone.
Performance
Performance within the Buffer ETF space remains highly idiosyncratic, heavily dictated by the underlying exposure. Digital Asset: Cryptocurrency – Bitcoin led the way with the strongest Week-to-Date (WTD) return at 4.60%. Conversely, Commodity: Focused – Precious Metals experienced the weakest WTD performance, falling by -2.26%, closely followed by Global Ex-U.S. Large Cap – Blend which dropped -2.21%.
Explore the full spectrum of risk-adjusted returns and category averages. Access the complete, free performance report in the right-side panel to see how your funds stack up against their benchmarks.
Flows
Equity-based buffer strategies continue to absolutely dominate, capturing the lion’s share of weekly inflows with $528M added. The Quarterly reset period proved to be the most active outcome period, driven heavily by significant flows into the individual fund flow leader, ZALT, which brought in $152M over the last 5 days.
Flows by Asset Class
| Asset Class | # of Funds | AUM | WTD Flow | 1M Flow | 3M Flow | YTD Flow | 1Y Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer – Commodity | 1 | $52M | $0M | $2M | $3M | -$4M | -$4M |
| Buffer – Crypto | 20 | $184M | $1M | $0M | $6M | -$7M | $78M |
| Buffer – Equity | 426 | $82,570M | $528M | $1,078M | $3,734M | $3,108M | $12,080M |
| Buffer – Fixed Income | 2 | $31M | $0M | $0M | -$3M | -$2M | -$18M |
| Buffer – Synthetic Income | 18 | $672M | -$1M | $5M | $119M | $112M | $346M |
Flows by Implementation (Outcome Period)
| Implementation | WTD Flow | 1M Flow | 3M Flow | YTD Flow | 1Y Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflows | |||||
| Buffer Reset: Quarterly | $197M | $279M | $660M | $676M | $2,533M |
| Buffer Reset: Laddered | $144M | $347M | $1,081M | $856M | $3,056M |
| Buffer Reset: March | $51M | $176M | $90M | $80M | $386M |
| Outflows | |||||
| Buffer Reset: May | -$6M | -$18M | -$76M | -$60M | $276M |
| Buffer Reset: April | -$4M | -$31M | -$136M | -$160M | $198M |
| Buffer Reset: August | -$1M | -$75M | -$291M | -$270M | $387M |
Individual Fund Flows (WTD)
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 Inflows | ||
| ZALT | Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF – Quarterly | $152M |
| BUFR | FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF | $91M |
| BALT | Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF | $29M |
| SIXO | AllianzIM U.S. Equity 6 Month Buffer10 Apr/Oct ETF | $25M |
| BUFQ | FT Vest Laddered Nasdaq Buffer ETF | $18M |
| Top 5 Outflows | ||
| XISE | FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF – September | -$13M |
| BMAR | Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF – March | -$9M |
| DMAY | FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF – May | -$7M |
| POCT | Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF – October | -$7M |
| XDQQ | Innovator Growth Accelerated ETF – Quarterly | -$6M |
League Tables
FT Vest and Innovator remain the dominant forces in the competitive landscape, maintaining the top two spots and controlling a combined market share of over 85%. Both issuers dominated the weekly flows leaderboard as well, bringing in impressive new assets to further extend their respective leads.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Issuer | # of ETFs | AUM | Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FT Vest | 118 | $40.60B | 48.58% |
| Innovator | 166 | $30.90B | 36.97% |
| Allianz | 50 | $5.12B | 6.13% |
| AB Funds | 3 | $1.48B | 1.77% |
| Pacer | 13 | $1.25B | 1.49% |
Issuer Flows (WTD)
| Issuer | WTD Flow | 1M Flow | 3M Flow | YTD Flow | 1Y Flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inflows | |||||
| Innovator | $232M | $411M | $1.17B | $1.25B | $4.69B |
| FT Vest | $216M | $504M | $1.75B | $1.21B | $4.96B |
| Allianz | $37M | $63M | $0.22B | $0.20B | $0.72B |
| Outflows | |||||
| Pacer | -$3M | -$11M | $0.02B | $0.01B | -$0.03B |
| iShares | $0M | -$2M | $0.09B | $0.07B | $0.24B |
| ARK | $0M | $0M | $0.00B | $0.00B | $0.00B |
Explore the data behind the insights. This weekly recap is just the start. Access the complete, in-depth reports for FREE in the right side panel to analyze performance, track flows, and view the latest league tables.
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.
