Weekly Channel Summary
The Equity Specialty channel has expanded to 69 ETFs from 50 issuers, with total assets under management reaching $12.9 billion. The channel attracted $49 million in net inflows this week, pushing the year-to-date total to $2.27 billion and the one-year total to $3.38 billion. This continued growth underscores persistent investor appetite for alternative and specialty equity strategies.
This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards
The Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category led the charge this week with a 1.30% return, while the Equity: Specialty – Hedged category posted a solid 0.92% gain. Despite the weekly win for Long | Short strategies, the Hedged category maintains a significant lead for the year, with a 10.01% year-to-date return compared to 8.03% for its counterpart, highlighting its consistent performance through 2025.
Category Performance Snapshot
| Category | WTD | 1 Month | 3 Month | 6 Month | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | 1.30% | 5.48% | 7.43% | 14.65% | 8.03% | 9.83% |
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | 0.92% | 3.23% | 8.27% | 12.50% | 10.01% | 10.67% |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by Weekly Performance
The Battleshares TSLA vs F ETF (ELON) was the week’s biggest winner, surging by an impressive 15.55%. At the other end of the performance spectrum, the DailyDelta Q100 Downside Option Strategy ETF (QDWN) faced the steepest losses, dropping -8.80%. The AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund (BTAL) also struggled, posting a weekly decline of -3.41%.
| Ticker | Fund Name | WTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Top Performers | ||
| ELON | Battleshares TSLA vs F ETF | 15.55% |
| QUP | DailyDelta Q100 Upside Option Strategy ETF | 7.23% |
| FORH | Formidable ETF | 3.36% |
| CLIX | ProShares Long Online/Short Stores ETF | 3.08% |
| CTEF | Castellan Targeted Equity ETF | 2.88% |
| Bottom Performers | ||
| QDWN | DailyDelta Q100 Downside Option Strategy ETF | -8.80% |
| BTAL | AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund | -3.41% |
| LBAY | Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF | -3.04% |
| ORR | Militia Long/Short Equity ETF | -1.86% |
| CCOR | Core Alternative ETF | -0.98% |
Analyzing the Weekly Flows
The Equity Specialty channel saw net inflows of $49 million this week, driven entirely by the Equity: Specialty – Hedged category, which pulled in $62 million. This category, now commanding $9.3 billion in AUM, continues to be the dominant force in the channel. In contrast, the Equity: Specialty – Long | Short category experienced outflows of $13 million, indicating a divergence in investor sentiment this week.
Category Flows Summary
| Category | Fund Count | AUM | 5 Day | 30 Day | 90 Day | YTD | 1 Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity: Specialty – Hedged | 50 | $9.3B | $62M | $292M | $607M | $1,946M | $2,937M |
| Equity: Specialty – Long | Short | 19 | $3.6B | ($13M) | $51M | $67M | $328M | $439M |
Top & Bottom 5 ETFs by 5-Day Flow
The JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF (HELO) led all funds, attracting $36 million in new capital. On the other side of the ledger, the AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund (BTAL) experienced the most significant outflows at $21 million, followed by the Invesco S&P 500 Downside Hedged ETF (PHDG), which saw redemptions of $4 million.
| Ticker | Fund Name | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Inflows | ||
| HELO | JPMorgan Hedged Equity Laddered Overlay ETF | $36M |
| PRAE | PlanRock Alternative Growth ETF | $6M |
| CTEF | Castellan Targeted Equity ETF | $6M |
| HFEQ | Unlimited HFEQ Equity Long/Short ETF | $5M |
| FHEQ | Fidelity Hedged Equity ETF | $5M |
| Outflows | ||
| BTAL | AGF U.S. Market Neutral Anti-Beta Fund | ($21M) |
| PHDG | Invesco S&P 500 Downside Hedged ETF | ($4M) |
| QGRD | Horizon Nasdaq-100 Defined Risk ETF | ($1M) |
| LBAY | Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF | ($1M) |
| ZHDG | Zega Buy & Hedge ETF | ($1M) |
Issuer League Table Update
JPMorgan and First Trust remain the top two issuers, commanding 29.03% and 15.42% of the market share, respectively. JPMorgan also led the week in asset gathering, pulling in $36 million in new flows. On the other hand, AGF experienced the largest weekly outflows among all issuers, with $21 million in redemptions.
Top 5 Issuers by AUM
| Brand | Fund Count | AUM | AUM Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan | 3 | $3.74B | 29.03% |
| First Trust | 1 | $1.98B | 15.42% |
| Simplify | 4 | $0.60B | 4.67% |
| Alpha Architect | 2 | $0.53B | 4.14% |
| Fidelity | 2 | $0.53B | 4.13% |
Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow
| Brand | 5-Day Flow |
|---|---|
| Inflows | |
| JPMorgan | $36M |
| PlanRock | $6M |
| Castellan | $6M |
| Outflows | |
| AGF | ($21M) |
| Invesco | ($4M) |
| Horizon | ($1M) |
For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth Thematic 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.
