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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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GMAY vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, GMAY returned +8.5% to SPY's +13.6%, and SPY charges 0.09% to GMAY's 0.85%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $446m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - May and $814.8bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.

GMAY on its own →SPY on its own →
At a glance
+8.5%
GMAY total return, 1 year
+13.6%
SPY total return, 1 year
0.85%
GMAY expense ratio
0.09%
SPY expense ratio

Pair scorecard

SPY costs 0.76 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.1 points; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $446m.

GMAY vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureGMAYSPY
Return
Total return, 1 year+8.5%+13.6%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer4.3%
Fund price fall to the buffer4.7%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYS&P 500 Index
The outcome period
Room to the cap8.6%
Buffer left, in index points15.0% of 15.0%
Days left in the period205
Period endsMay 21, 2027
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.85%0.09%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$446m$814.8bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund38.1%

Method

Side by side

GMAY FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - May SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
Where it sits Buffer ETF Stock ETF
Issuer First Trust State Street
What it is Defined outcome, 15% on SPY Tracks the S&P 500
Total return, 1 year +8.5% +13.6%
Its benchmark over the same days +12.4% (SPY) +13.7% (VOO)
Gap to its benchmark −3.9 pts vs SPY −0.1 pts vs VOO
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.09%
Holdings not read by ETFIQ 504
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $446m $814.8bn

GMAY and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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About each fund
GMAY

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 8.6% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 4.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 4.3% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 205 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On May 21, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

SPY

SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.

Questions people ask

Are GMAY and SPY in the same category?
GMAY is a buffer ETF and SPY is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, GMAY or SPY?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GMAY returned +8.5% and SPY +13.6%.
Which is cheaper, GMAY or SPY?
SPY is cheaper, by 0.76 percentage points a year. That is about $76 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
GMAY vs IVVGMAY vs VOOGMAY vs SPYMMAYW vs SPYBSEP vs SPYBNOV vs SPYSIXD vs SPYJUNW vs SPY
Where to next
GMAY on its own →SPY on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →SPY dividend history →SPY holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
GMAY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
First Trust page for GMAY ↗
SPY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
State Street website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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ETFIQ, GMAY against SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gmay-vs-spy

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