DBMF

iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF

iMGP · $5.24bn in assets, October 8, 2026

Uses futures on stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities to copy the returns of large managed-futures hedge funds, a strategy built to behave differently from the stock market.

DBMF, the iMGP DBi Managed Futures Strategy ETF, is a $5.2 billion ETF whose main story is the fear layer. It holds 3.8% of the money in ETFs carrying that story, 1st of 584. Over the past year it returned +26.0%, against +16.8% for broad US ETFs. Figures to October 2, 2026; past performance, not a recommendation.

DBMF · the ETFFRI OCT 2Market price total return
+9.9% a yearTotal return since launch, May 2019
+26.0%Last 12 months
+18.3%Year to date
12.3%Volatility since launch

The narrative it carries

Its main narrative, at 0.7 of its exposure.

The fear layer →

Hedges, buffered ETFs, volatility and trend strategies: the products built around market falls.

The fear layer · the narrative this week
42.3WARM level, 18 of 22
last four weeks
584ETFs carry it
13.1%held by the top five
DBMFlargest holder, 3.8%
$120 bncapital, 9th of 22

The band is where this narrative’s level sits among the 22 this week. QUIET means less talked about, not falling.

Who owns the capital
DBMF 3.8%BALT 3.1%ACYN 2.4%SFLR 2.3%FJAN 1.5%579 other ETFs 86.9%13.1%top five
#ETFSHAREASSETS1 YEARCOST
1DBMF3.8%$5.24bn+26.0%0.85%
2BALT3.1%$3.00bn+6.5%–
3ACYN2.4%$2.36bn––
4SFLR2.3%$2.21bn+9.1%–
5FJAN1.5%$1.47bn+13.2%–
579 other ETFs86.9%
DBMF: 3.8%, 1st of 584

Share is each ETF’s slice of the capital carrying this narrative. 1 year is market price total return; cost is the expense ratio. See all 584 ETFs on the narrative page →

Also carries: Hard asset flight →

Gold, silver and the miners: assets held because no government issues them.

Exposure 0.3 · level 55.8 WARM, 7th of 22 · DBMF holds 0.4% of its capital

FRI OCT 2MARKET PRICE TOTAL RETURN

1M3MYTD1Y3Y*5Y*
DBMF+4.5%+8.5%+18.3%+26.0%+9.7%+10.3%
The fear layerits narrative+1.0%+3.2%+9.3%+11.8%+13.6%+9.5%
The marketbroad US ETFs+0.8%+2.6%+14.6%+16.8%+22.9%+12.9%

1M, 3M, 1Y, 3Y, 5Y: one month to five years. YTD: year to date. * A year, annualised. A dash means the ETF has not traded for the whole period. Since it started trading on May 8, 2019: +9.9% a year.

$10,000 invested May 31, 2019

DBMF $19,795The fear layer $19,942The market $30,892
$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000May 2019May 2021May 2023May 2025$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000May 2019May 2023

Year by year

DBMFThe fear layerThe market
-20%-10%0%10%20%30%DBMF 2020: +1.8%Narrative 2020: +10.2%The market 2020: +21.4%2020DBMF 2021: +11.4%Narrative 2021: +10.1%The market 2021: +27.1%2021DBMF 2022: +21.5%Narrative 2022: -5.2%The market 2022: -19.8%2022DBMF 2023: -8.9%Narrative 2023: +16.3%The market 2023: +27.9%2023DBMF 2024: +7.2%Narrative 2024: +13.6%The market 2024: +23.1%2024DBMF 2025: +13.8%Narrative 2025: +11.3%The market 2025: +16.8%2025DBMF YTD: +18.3%Narrative YTD: +9.3%The market YTD: +14.6%YTD-20%-10%0%10%20%30%DBMF 2020: +1.8%Narrative 2020: +10.2%The market 2020: +21.4%2020DBMF 2021: +11.4%Narrative 2021: +10.1%The market 2021: +27.1%2021DBMF 2022: +21.5%Narrative 2022: -5.2%The market 2022: -19.8%2022DBMF 2023: -8.9%Narrative 2023: +16.3%The market 2023: +27.9%2023DBMF 2024: +7.2%Narrative 2024: +13.6%The market 2024: +23.1%2024DBMF 2025: +13.8%Narrative 2025: +11.3%The market 2025: +16.8%2025DBMF YTD: +18.3%Narrative YTD: +9.3%The market YTD: +14.6%YTD

Total return in each calendar year; this year is year to date. A year appears only if DBMF traded for all of it.

Total return on the market price, with each distribution reinvested on its ex-date. Not the NAV return the issuer publishes; the two differ when the ETF trades above or below the value of its holdings. The narrative is the asset-weighted return of the unlevered ETFs that carry it. The market is the asset-weighted return of broad US index ETFs. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Common questions

What story is DBMF selling?

DBMF’s main story is the fear layer, which covers hedges, buffered ETFs, volatility and trend strategies: the products built around market falls. Its second is hard asset flight.

Which ETFs compete with DBMF?

The ETFs whose weekly returns move most like DBMF’s over the past 3 years are ASMF (0.81), FARX (0.76) and AHLT (0.76).

How much of the fear layer does DBMF hold?

DBMF holds 3.8% of the money in ETFs carrying that story, 1st of 584.

How has DBMF performed against its story?

Over the past year DBMF returned +26.0%, the ETFs carrying the fear layer +11.8% and broad US ETFs +16.8%, to October 2, 2026. Its weekly returns have a correlation of 0.27 with the story. Past performance only.

Run an ETF in the fear layer? StoryVector shows issuers where their ETFs stand against the closest rivals, every week.

Request a pilot
Narrative figures are from the weekly board. Performance is market price total return as of October 2, 2026. Assets are StoryVector’s weekly figure. Classification and measurement. Not investment advice. How the measurement works →