Which returned more over the last year, DOCT or SPY?

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DOCT returned +12.5% and SPY returned +20.0%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Are DOCT and SPY the same kind of fund?

No. DOCT is a buffer ETF and SPY is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

DOCT vs SPY

Name: ETFIQ comparison of DOCT and SPY
Creator: ETFIQ
License: https://etfiq.com/standards/

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.

DOCT and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	DOCT FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October	SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
Where it sits	Buffer desk	Core fund
Issuer	First Trust	State Street
What it is	Defined outcome, on SPY	S&P 500, book from IVV
Total return, 1 year	+12.5%	+20.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	−7.5 pts	+0.0 pts
Expense ratio	0.85%	not published
Holdings	n/a	504

DOCT in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +11.7% for the period on Sep 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 0.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 14.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 18.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 25.0% of the 25.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 42 days remained on Sep 4, 2026. On Oct 16, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

SPY in plain words

SPY is a index equity fund tracking S&P 500, book from IVV. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +20.0% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 36.4%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, DOCT or SPY?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DOCT returned +12.5% and SPY returned +20.0%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Are DOCT and SPY the same kind of fund?: No. DOCT is a buffer ETF and SPY is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

DOCT against SPY, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 4, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, DOCT against SPY, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/DOCT-SPY.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources