Simplify Market Neutral Equity Long/Short ETF (EQLS) is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to provide capital appreciation through a market-neutral long/short equity strategy focused on U.S. equities. The fund employs a quantitative, rules-based approach to select long positions in undervalued stocks and short positions in overvalued stocks across various market capitalizations, aiming to minimize exposure to broad market movements while capturing alpha from relative performance dispersion; it utilizes derivatives such as swaps and futures for efficient implementation and risk management. EQLS operates primarily in the U.S. equity markets, targeting institutional and retail investors seeking low-volatility, uncorrelated returns in the alternative investment segment.
Launched in 2024 and domiciled in the United States with administrative operations managed by a leading ETF provider, the fund represents a recent innovation in accessible market-neutral strategies previously dominated by hedge funds. In late 2025, EQLS announced a strategic partnership with a prominent quantitative asset manager to enhance its proprietary alpha model, incorporating advanced machine learning techniques for improved stock selection accuracy. This alliance builds on an earlier seed funding round in early 2025 that supported platform expansion and the introduction of an institutional share class with lower fees.