ETF Evaluator:
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Systematic Trend Over the Last Year
| 35.2% | American Beacon AHL Trend ETF (AHLT) |
| 31.5% | Cambria Chesapeake Pure Trend ETF (MFUT) |
| 28.1% | Blueprint Chesapeake Multi-Asst Trnd ETF (TFPN) |
| 27.5% | iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF (DBMF) |
| 22.1% | Fidelity Managed Futures ETF (FFUT) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF Overview
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF (CTA) is an actively managed Alternative Systematic Trend exchange-traded fund (ETF). Simplify Asset Management launched the ETF in 2022.
The investment seeks long term capital appreciation.
Under normal market conditions, the fund invests in a portfolio of equity, U.S. Treasury, commodity, and foreign exchange futures contracts (collectively, “Futures Contracts”). Typically, it will not invest directly in commodity futures contracts. The Advisor expects to gain exposure to these investments by investing up to 25% of its assets in a wholly-owned subsidiary of the fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Subsidiary”).
About Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF (CTA)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.68 years: Paisley Nardini (2024), Ken Miller (2022), David Berns (2022) and Michael Green (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and SG CTA PR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF has 31 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 87.1% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF is part of the Alternative Strategies global asset class and is within the Alternative ETF group. Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 16.9% (16.9% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF has 38.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $487 million average for the Systematic Trend category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
CTA Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Systematic Trend category. Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF has an expense ratio of 0.75%, which is 9% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 0%, which indicates that it holds its assets around /years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 57% for the Systematic Trend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF returned 5.2%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Systematic Trend category had an average return of 1.4%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF has a trailing yield of 5.39%, which is above the 2.42% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 2.7%, 6.8 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 4.0% over the past year (grade of F) and 8.3% over the past three years (grade of C).
For more ETF grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
CTA Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| CTA Return (NAV) | 5.2% | -14.8% | 4.0% | 8.3% | na | na |
| CTA Return (Price) | 5.1% | -14.8% | 4.0% | 8.4% | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.088% | 0.048% | 0.012% | -0.112% | na | na |
| Systematic Trend Avg | 1.4% | -1.4% | 20.5% | 6.5% | 6.1% | 3.0% |
| CTA Grade (NAV) | A | F | F | C | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 3.8% | -13.4% | -16.5% | 1.8% | na | na |
| CTA Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.1% | 2.5% | na | na |
CTA Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| CTA Return (NAV) | 2.7% | 1.3% | 24.2% | -3.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| CTA Return (Price) | 2.9% | 0.9% | 24.1% | -2.3% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.107% | -0.323% | -0.001% | -0.360% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Systematic Trend Avg | 9.5% | 5.1% | 7.3% | -0.4% | 13.3% | 7.6% | 2.4% | -3.6% | -1.4% | -0.7% | -2.6% |
| CTA Grade (NAV) | F | D | A | C | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -6.8% | -3.8% | 16.9% | -3.2% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | -0.18 |
| R-Squared: | 2% |
| Standard Deviation: | 15.7% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.49 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.28 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 5.4% |
| Total Assets: | $ 1,538 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1,538 Mil |
| Turnover: | 0.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.75% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 3.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Berns David (2022), Green Michael (2022), Miller Ken (2022), Nardini Paisley (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 31 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 87.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 16.9% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 44.4% |
| Cash: | 38.7% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Simplify Asset Management |
| Phone Number: | 855-772-8488 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | March 7, 2022 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.75% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.83% |
