Which has more room to gain, BALT or DECM?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, BALT can gain about 2.4% before its cap and DECM about 1.5%, so BALT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BALT or DECM?

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

Which is cheaper, BALT or DECM?

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

Share on X Download as PDF Open live

BALT vs DECM: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 DECM can fall 5.2% before its buffer engages and BALT 0.0%, and DECM resets 13 days sooner. Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly and FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - December.

0.0%

BALT can fall this far before its buffer

5.2%

DECM can fall this far before its buffer

2.4%

BALT can still gain

1.5%

DECM 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.

DECMAt its cap

DECM: reference +12.0% since period start, fund +4.6%; buffer 0 to −51; cap +7.0%; 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

DECM 74.9

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 →

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

Where each one stands today

DECM 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, DECM 1.5%. A fall from here reaches BALT’s buffer after 0.0% and DECM’s after 5.2%. 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	DECM	BALT	DECM
3 months	+2.0%	+1.6%	−0.6 pts	−0.9 pts
6 months	+4.3%	+4.7%	−12.7 pts	−12.3 pts
1 year	+6.5%	+6.3%	−9.2 pts	−9.4 pts
3 years	+25.7%	not published	−59.3 pts	not published

BALT and DECM 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

DECM

FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs the first 51% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 7.0%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 20% 51%

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

Days left 92 79

Starting cap +2.4% +7.0%

Can still gain 2.4% 1.5%

Fall before buffer 0.0% 5.2%

Protection left, index points 20.0% of 20.0% 50.6% of 50.6%

Index return this period 0.0% +12.0%

Fund return this period 0.0% +4.6%

State today Open At cap

Expense ratio 0.69% 0.85%

Net assets $3.0bn $36m

BALT and DECM 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.

DECM in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +7.0% 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 1.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 5.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 50.6% of the 50.6% 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 DECM?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, BALT can gain about 2.4% before its cap and DECM about 1.5%, so BALT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BALT or DECM?: BALT ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and DECM on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BALT or DECM?: BALT charges 0.69% a year and DECM charges 0.85%, so BALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BALT vs XDEC BALT vs XSEP BALT vs ZALT BALT vs ZJAN DECM vs BJAN DECM vs CPSD DECM vs CPSY DECM vs DDSQ

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

Where these figures came from

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

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 DECM, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-decm

Open data

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