Which has more room to gain, BDEC or FHDG?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BDEC can gain about 3.6% before its cap and FHDG about 2.2%, so BDEC has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BDEC or FHDG?

BDEC ends its outcome period on Nov 30, 2026 and FHDG on Nov 20, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, BDEC or FHDG?

BDEC charges 0.79% a year and FHDG charges 0.85%, so BDEC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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BDEC vs FHDG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 BDEC can fall 11.8% before its buffer engages and FHDG 1.7%, and FHDG resets 10 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $216m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Dec and $76m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly Dynamic Buffer ETF.

BDEC costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.6 points; BDEC is 2.8 times larger.

	BDEC	FHDG
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.85%
Net assets	$216m	$76m
Total return, 1 year	+15.2%	+13.6%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	12.2%	1.7%

11.8%

BDEC can fall this far before its buffer

1.7%

FHDG can fall this far before its buffer

3.6%

BDEC can still gain

2.2%

FHDG can still gain

BDECBetween buffer and cap

BDEC: reference +13.9% since period start, fund +12.6%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +17.4%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

FHDGBetween buffer and cap

FHDG: reference +1.7% since period start, fund +1.5%; buffer 0 to −7; cap +3.9%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

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

BDEC 13.2

FHDG 9.4

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

A percentile among the 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. Today's position against one 20% fall; it ignores smaller falls, and stock buffers are never ranked against bond or commodity ones. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

Where each one stands today

FHDG resets first, on Nov 20, 2026, 42 days from now; BDEC runs to Nov 30, 2026, 52 days. BDEC can still gain 3.6% before its cap, FHDG 2.2%. A fall from here reaches BDEC’s buffer after 11.8% and FHDG’s after 1.7%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	BDEC	FHDG	BDEC	FHDG
3 months	+3.5%	+3.0%	+0.4 pts	−0.2 pts
6 months	+11.9%	+8.7%	−2.7 pts	−5.9 pts
1 year	+15.2%	+13.6%	−0.8 pts	−2.4 pts
3 years	+56.4%	not published	−22.7 pts	not published

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

BDEC

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Dec · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 17.4%, over a period ending Nov 30, 2026

FHDG

FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly Dynamic Buffer ETF · Absorbs the first 8% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 3.9%, over a period ending Nov 20, 2026

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 9% 8%

Outcome period Nov 30, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026 Aug 24, 2026 to Nov 20, 2026

Days left 52 42

Starting cap +17.4% +3.9%

Can still gain 3.6% 2.2%

Fall before buffer 11.8% 1.7%

Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 7.5% of 7.5%

Index return this period +13.9% +1.7%

Fund return this period +12.6% +1.5%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%

Net assets $216m $76m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

BDEC in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.6% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 11.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.2% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 9.0% of the 9.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 52 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Nov 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

FHDG in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.2% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 7.5% of the 7.5% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 42 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Nov 20, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BDEC or FHDG?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BDEC can gain about 3.6% before its cap and FHDG about 2.2%, so BDEC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BDEC or FHDG?: BDEC ends its outcome period on Nov 30, 2026 and FHDG on Nov 20, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BDEC or FHDG?: BDEC charges 0.79% a year and FHDG charges 0.85%, so BDEC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BDEC vs DDFD BDEC vs ZDEK BDEC vs DECU BDEC vs CPSD FHDG vs UDEC FHDG vs GNOV FHDG vs SIXD FHDG vs ZDEK

SPY →BDEC on its own →FHDG on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

BDEC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for BDEC ↗FHDG filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for FHDG ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

ETFIQ calculates every figure from each issuer’s published outcome-period terms. Buffer ETFs hold options on an index, not shares, so there is no holdings overlap to report.

Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, BDEC against FHDG, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bdec-vs-fhdg

Open data

Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.