FT Vest Archives - BufferLabs

Buffered ETFs: A Rebuttal to AQR Capital Management’s Bloomberg TV Criticism

On April 14, 2025, AQR Capital Management’s Daniel Villalon appeared on Bloomberg TV and labeled buffered ETFs, such as the FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF (BUFR) and Innovator Laddered Allocation Power Buffer ETF (BUFF), as an “investment failure.” Watch it here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-04-14/buffer-etfs-an-investment-failure-aqr-video AQR’s critique claims these options-powered funds underperform simpler alternatives, fail to mitigate drawdowns…

Rebuttal to AQR – Not to Hype, But to Inform

BufferLABS Response to AQR Blog Post: “Rebuffed: A Closer Look at Options-Based Strategies” Dated March 21, 2025 – Cliff Asness and Daniel Villalon https://www.aqr.com/Insights/Perspectives/Rebuffed-A-Closer-Look-at-Options-Based-Strategies As a new research publisher and participant in the buffered ETF ecosystem, BufferLABS aims to shed light on these hedging instruments using data and facts—nothing more, nothing less. So, we read…

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