ETF News You Missed This Week - Mar. 2 - Mar. 6, 2026

ETF Launches

Equity ETFs Target Space, Nuclear and Global Opportunities

Several new equity ETFs hit the market this week, highlighting how issuers are increasingly combining thematic investing with active management and income overlays.

Avos Capital Management launched the AVOS Global Equities ETF (AVOS), an actively managed strategy designed to identify opportunities across roughly 40 countries. Instead of relying on traditional market-cap weighting, the fund allocates capital using proprietary “attractiveness scores” that incorporate valuations, macroeconomic conditions, capital flows and policy trends.

Energy and defense themes are also gaining traction. Nicholas Wealth introduced two income-focused ETFs designed to capture structural demand trends.

• NUKX targets companies tied to nuclear power and uranium markets.
• WEPN focuses on defense companies and critical materials.

Both funds apply active options strategies aimed at generating income while maintaining exposure to these strategic industries.

Meanwhile, M.D. Sass entered the ETF market for the first time with the M.D. Sass Concentrated Value ETF (SASS). The fund brings the firm’s high-conviction value strategy to public markets with a concentrated portfolio of 20–25 large- and mid-cap U.S. stocks. Notably, SASS launched with more than $70 million in seed capital, a strong starting base for a new ETF issuer.

The rapidly growing space economy also received a dedicated ETF with the launch of the Roundhill Space & Technology ETF (MARS). The actively managed fund invests in companies tied to satellite communications, launch infrastructure and space data services. Holdings include firms such as Rocket Lab, AST SpaceMobile and Planet Labs, as investors increasingly look to participate in what some forecasts estimate could become a $1.8 trillion industry by 2035.

Active management also continues to expand in emerging markets. MFS Investment Management launched the MFS Blended Research Emerging Markets Equity ETF (BREE), which combines fundamental analysis with quantitative signals to build a diversified emerging market portfolio.

Meanwhile, Innovator ETFs added two new defined outcome strategies. The DDTM and DDFM ETFs provide upside participation capped at a predetermined level while seeking to generate positive returns in declining markets using options-based buffers.

Leveraged thematic exposure also arrived this week with the Defiance 2X Daily Long Pure Drone and Aerial Automation ETF (DRNL). The fund aims to deliver 200% of the daily return of a drone and aerial automation index, targeting companies involved in UAV technology, AI-powered flight systems and electric vertical takeoff aircraft.

Fixed Income ETFs Expand Credit and Income Solutions

Eaton Vance introduced the Eaton Vance Preferred Securities and Income ETF (EVPF), an actively managed strategy investing primarily in preferred securities and other income-producing assets. The fund seeks to deliver both total return and attractive yield while maintaining tax efficiency.

Meanwhile, BlackRock expanded its credit lineup with the iShares Broad USD Floating Rate Loan ETF (USLN). The ETF tracks a broad leveraged loan index and offers exposure to the $1.4 trillion U.S. leveraged loan market, providing investors with floating-rate income that can help mitigate interest rate risk.

Crypto ETF Expands Access to Polkadot

21Shares launched the 21Shares Polkadot ETF (TDOT), providing investors with direct exposure to the DOT token, the native asset of the Polkadot blockchain network. The physically backed ETF holds the cryptocurrency itself and charges a 0.30% management fee, offering traditional investors simplified access to cross-chain blockchain infrastructure through standard brokerage accounts.

ETF Filings

PGIM Targets U.S. Equities and Structured Credit

PGIM and its affiliate Jennison filed for the PGIM Jennison U.S. Core Equity ETF (PJUS), an actively managed strategy targeting a risk profile similar to the Russell 1000 using proprietary fundamental research.

PGIM also proposed two credit-focused ETFs. The PGIM Securitized Income ETF (PINC) would invest primarily in mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities and CLOs with a short-duration profile, while the PGIM AAA CLO Aggregate Duration ETF (AAAD) would focus mainly on AAA-rated CLO tranches and use derivatives to extend portfolio duration toward the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.

Factor and Thematic Index Strategies

Porter & Company and Tuttle Capital filed a group of index-based ETFs targeting specific corporate characteristics.

The Permanent Portfolio Index ETF would allocate roughly equally across insurance stocks, capital-efficient companies, hard assets such as Bitcoin and precious metals, and cash-like investments.

Additional filings include ETFs tracking companies with long operating histories (Lindy Effect), firms with strong capital efficiency metrics, and leading property and casualty insurers ranked by underwriting performance.

Global Equity Strategies

Twin Oak filed the Synera Funds Japan Active+ ETF (SMTJ), which would invest primarily in Japanese equities selected through a thematic model while incorporating a systematic futures overlay across currencies, rates and commodities.

MFS submitted filings for two actively managed ETFs targeting small- and mid-cap companies and international large-cap value stocks using a blend of fundamental and quantitative research.

Praxis also entered the pipeline with the Praxis Impact International ETF (PRXI), which would invest in developed markets equities outside North America while applying proprietary stewardship screens.

Options Income ETFs Continue to Grow

Options-based strategies remain one of the fastest-growing areas of the ETF market.

T. Rowe Price filed the Capital Appreciation Market Opportunities ETF (TPUT), which would generate income by selling out-of-the-money put options on large-cap benchmarks while holding Treasuries and cash as collateral.

Tuttle Capital proposed several strategies including a Photonics Income ETF, combining exposure to companies involved in lasers, LiDAR and optical technologies with an options income overlay. The firm also filed two ETFs selling daily 0DTE covered calls on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100.

Other filings include the Kurv SK Hynix Enhanced Income ETF, which would track the semiconductor company using synthetic options positions while generating income through covered calls.

TappAlpha also filed two income strategies. One combines Russell 2000 exposure with daily options income, while the other tracks the Magnificent 10 technology stocks while selling daily covered calls.

Leveraged and Single-Stock ETFs Push the Limits

Leveraged ETF filings were particularly aggressive.

Direxion proposed leveraged ETFs tied to high-profile private companies often discussed as potential IPO candidates, including OpenAI, SpaceX, Databricks, Anthropic and Anduril, each with both 2× long and 2× inverse versions.

Defiance ETFs filed several leveraged products, including a 2× Avalanche (AVAX) ETF, leveraged funds tied to SpaceX, a –2× inverse Discord ETF, and 2× leveraged ETFs targeting silver mining stocks.

Meanwhile, Corgi proposed 88 single-stock leveraged ETFs covering companies such as Nvidia, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon, along with several AI, semiconductor and space-related firms.

Finally, Leverage Shares filed a series of 4× leveraged single-stock ETFs tied to companies including TSM, Micron, AST SpaceMobile and SMCI, highlighting the growing demand for high-octane trading products within the ETF wrapper.

Other ETF Developments

Several ETFs also reached important asset milestones.

The Harbor Commodity All-Weather Strategy ETF (HGER) surpassed $2 billion in assets, reflecting demand for diversified commodity exposure designed to hedge inflation and shifting macro regimes.

Meanwhile, the State Street Bridgewater All Weather ETF (ALLW) exceeded $1 billion in AUM within a year of launch, bringing Ray Dalio’s well-known risk-parity framework into the ETF wrapper.

The SEI Select International Equity ETF (SEIE) also crossed the $1 billion mark, highlighting strong investor appetite for active international equity strategies.

Finally, Rareview Capital’s ETF suite surpassed $250 million in assets, reflecting nearly 50% growth since late last year.

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.