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Equable Shares Converts Flagship Fund into the Equable Shares Hedged Equity ETF (HEDG)

Equable Shares has transitioned its flagship hedged equity mutual fund into an ETF structure, offering investors a rules-based, risk-managed approach to U.S. equity exposure.

ETF Central
By ETF Central Team · November 24, 2025
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HEDG Launch

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Equable Shares, an investment firm based in Naples, Florida, has announced the launch of the Equable Shares Hedged Equity ETF

on October 13, 2025. The new ETF marks the completion of a tax-free conversion of the firm’s original flagship mutual fund, EQHEX, into an exchange-traded format.

The fund seeks income, risk mitigation, and long-term capital appreciation, combining equity exposure to the S&P 500 index (a market-capitalization-weighted index of 500 leading publicly traded companies in the United States) with option strategies aimed at managing risk and generating income.

“In 2018, I identified a need for advisors and their clients to access a straightforward solution that provides exposure to the S&P 500, while reducing volatility over market cycles. HEDG does just that,” said Ronald A. Santella, Founder and CEO of Equable Shares.

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How the ETF Works

The Equable Shares Hedged Equity ETF

seeks to balance growth potential and risk management using a systematic, rules-based process. The fund’s equity exposure is designed to track the S&P 500 Index through the purchase of equity ETFs.

To help reduce downside risk and generate consistent income, HEDG employs two key option strategies: writing call options to collect premiums and purchasing a put spread on approximately 30 percent of the portfolio. This approach provides the potential for both income generation and partial protection during market drawdowns.

The fund’s rules-based framework is designed to ensure transparency, consistency, and low volatility, potentially allowing investors to participate meaningfully in equity market gains while limiting losses during periods of heightened uncertainty.

Why Investors Should Consider This ETF

The Equable Shares Hedged Equity ETF

offers a balanced solution for investors seeking to stay invested in equities while managing volatility across market cycles.

Key features include:

  • Equity exposure designed to track the S&P 500 Index
  • Downside protection through a put spread covering roughly one-third of the portfolio
  • Potential income generation from writing call options
  • Rules-based process to maintain consistency and reduce behavioral bias
  • A strategy suitable for complementing a core large-cap equity allocation

HEDG is positioned as a potential all-weather solution that provides meaningful upside participation with lower volatility, making it an appealing option for investors looking to smooth returns without abandoning growth potential.

About Equable Shares

Founded by Ronald A. Santella, Equable Shares is an independent investment firm built on more than four decades of financial market experience. Prior to founding the company, Santella led SAM Investments, a relative-value hedge fund, and later served as CEO of Fox River, an institutional algorithmic brokerage firm acquired by a Fortune 500 company.

Equable Shares first launched its hedged equity strategy in 2019 through the EQHEX mutual fund. The conversion of EQHEX into HEDG reflects the firm’s commitment to delivering innovative, accessible, and tax-efficient investment solutions within an ETF structure.

For more information, visit www.equableshares.com.

Please note this article is for information purposes only and does not in any way constitute investment advice. It is essential that you seek advice from a registered financial professional prior to making any investment decision.

Investing involves risk and principal loss is possible.  ETFs are subject to additional risks that do not apply to conventional mutual funds, including the risks that the market price of an ETF’s shares may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value (NAV), an active secondary trading market may not develop or be maintained, or trading may be halted by the exchange in which they trade, which may impact a Fund’s ability to sell its shares. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund.   The Fund invests in options on indexes or equity securities. Options are instruments that derive their performance from underlying equity securities, also referred to as “derivatives.” Derivatives can be volatile and the Fund could experience a loss if its derivatives do not perform as anticipated, or are not correlated with the performance of their underlying security or index, or if the Fund is unable to purchase or liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing.  For a prospectus with this and other information about the fund, please [CLICK HERE] or call [1-800-617-0004].  Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.  HEDG is distributed by Quasar Distributors, LLC

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