

Advisors did not slow down on exchange-traded funds in the second quarter. They added more of them, and pointed the money somewhere new, according to AdvizorPro's Q2 2026 RIA ETF Trends report.

The Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF (CLSE) combines quantitative and fundamental factors to run long and short positions across roughly 3,000 US equities. The fund's short book carries a much higher P/E and beta than its long book, targeting expensive, weaker names. CLSE has outperformed peers like FTLS, ORR and HFEQ on a risk-adjusted basis over the past five years.

Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF has an active strategy designed to deliver “alpha from a net long portfolio.”. I maintain a Buy rating on CLSE, supported by its over 11% outperformance since the February note that proves the high adaptability of the strategy. Since conversion into an ETF, CLSE has delivered an annualized active return of 7.15% (with IWV selected as a benchmark), with a lower standard deviation.

New AdvizorPro data shows RIAs broadened their ETF lineups in Q1 2026, leaning into real assets, active managers, and defense strategies.

The Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF has delivered additional proof of tail risk mitigation without surrendering much upside capture this year. Modest drawdowns were experienced during March's sell-off, and index-level upside capture occurred in April. The vehicle's long exposure is currently at ~60%, its lower bound, and management communicated alignment in favour of value over momentum and broadening over narrowing post Q1.

The Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF is an actively managed vehicle that "seeks alpha from a net long portfolio." CLSE has outperformed the S&P 500 index since my November article. Since the beginning of 2026, it has outmaneuvered IVV and IWV as it has excellently positioned itself for capital rotation. Moreover, since conversion into an ETF, CLSE has beaten IWV by about 28.5%.

The Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF has illustrated an ability to generate beta-reduced alpha via a quantametal approach. An equity market portfolio could deliver additional gains in 2026 due to macro factors. However, AI bubble narrative and valuations add to crash risk. CLSE ETF can maintain market exposure while softening crash risk via its long-bias long/short strategy.

The Convergence Long/Short Equity ETF is a nontraditional equity ETF that "seeks to provide a greater return potential than traditional approaches while reducing risk." CLSE has outperformed the S&P 500 index since my June article, when I rated it a Buy. Since the beginning of the year, it has beaten IVV and IWV. Over March 2022–October 2025, CLSE delivered a 1.27x higher annualized return than IWV and captured just 43.7% of its downside.