Which has more room to gain, BALT or DDEC?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, BALT can gain about 2.4% before its cap and DDEC about 2.8%, so DDEC has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BALT or DDEC?

BALT ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and DDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, BALT or DDEC?

BALT charges 0.69% a year and DDEC charges 0.85%, so BALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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BALT vs DDEC: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 DDEC can fall 12.9% before its buffer engages and BALT 0.0%, and DDEC resets 13 days sooner. Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly and FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December.

0.0%

BALT can fall this far before its buffer

12.9%

DDEC can fall this far before its buffer

2.4%

BALT can still gain

2.8%

DDEC can still gain

BALTBetween buffer and cap

BALT: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.4%; Between buffer and cap.

DDECAt its cap

DDEC: reference +12.0% since period start, fund +8.1%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.0%; At its cap.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · BALT scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

BALT 99.8

DDEC 6.3

0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 293 buffer ETFs with a live outcome period. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

DDEC is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

DDEC resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 79 days from now; BALT runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. BALT can still gain 2.4% before its cap, DDEC 2.8%. A fall from here reaches BALT’s buffer after 0.0% and DDEC’s after 12.9%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference
Window	BALT	DDEC	BALT	DDEC
3 months	+2.0%	+2.6%	−0.6 pts	+0.1 pts
6 months	+4.3%	+9.6%	−12.7 pts	−7.4 pts
1 year	+6.5%	+11.0%	−9.2 pts	−4.7 pts
3 years	+25.7%	+44.8%	−59.3 pts	−40.2 pts

BALT and DDEC over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

BALT

Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly · Absorbs the first 20% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 2.4%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026

DDEC

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 12.0%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 20% 5% to 30%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026

Days left 92 79

Starting cap +2.4% +12.0%

Can still gain 2.4% 2.8%

Fall before buffer 0.0% 12.9%

Protection left, index points 20.0% of 20.0% 25.0% of 25.0%

Index return this period 0.0% +12.0%

Fund return this period 0.0% +8.1%

State today Open At cap

Expense ratio 0.69% 0.85%

Net assets $3.0bn $428m

BALT and DDEC on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

BALT in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.4% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

DDEC in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.0% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 12.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.2% 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. 79 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BALT or DDEC?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, BALT can gain about 2.4% before its cap and DDEC about 2.8%, so DDEC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BALT or DDEC?: BALT ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and DDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BALT or DDEC?: BALT charges 0.69% a year and DDEC charges 0.85%, so BALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BALT vs GDEC BALT vs GSEP BALT vs JAJL BALT vs JANP DDEC vs BJAN DDEC vs CPSD DDEC vs CPSY DDEC vs DDFJ

SPY →BALT on its own →DDEC on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

Innovator page for BALT ↗DDEC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for DDEC ↗

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

Cite this page

ETFIQ, BALT against DDEC, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-ddec

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.