# What is a hedged equity ETF?

> As of Nov 4, 2026, ETFIQ places 26 alternatives ETFs in equity hedged, the largest alternatives group, among 90 alternatives ETFs.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.

## What is a hedged equity ETF?

Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.

As of Nov 4, 2026, ETFIQ places 26 alternatives ETFs in equity hedged, the largest alternatives group, among 90 alternatives ETFs.

### In plain words

A hedged equity ETF owns stocks and adds a hedge, often options, to soften falls. The hedge costs money, so the fund tends to give up some gain in rising markets.

ETFIQ places 26 funds here, more than any other alternatives strategy, and measures weekly correlation and beta with the S&P 500 and down-week capture. Down-week capture below 100% means the fund fell less than the index in its down weeks. It is a one-year weekly measure, not a promise, and ETFIQ shows the weeks counted.

### Questions

What is down-week capture? The fund’s average return in weeks the S&P 500 fell, as a share of the index’s average. Below zero means the fund rose.

How does a hedge cost money? Options have a price, which comes out of the fund’s return.

Is this the same as a buffer ETF? No. A buffer fund has a stated floor and cap over a set period.

### Where to next

---

Source: ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.
Cite: ETFIQ, What is a hedged equity ETF?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-a-hedged-equity-etf
Licence: https://etfiq.com/license/ Data ETFIQ computes is free to use with attribution: ETFIQ (etfiq.com). Issuer data stays under its owner's terms.
HTML: https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-a-hedged-equity-etf