BDEC vs NOVM: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 13, 2026 BDEC can fall 11.8% before its buffer engages and NOVM 6.2%, and NOVM resets 10 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 12, 2026: $217m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Dec and $27m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - November.

BDEC costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.5 points; BDEC is 8.1 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BDEC vs NOVM: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
BDECNOVM
Expense ratio0.79%0.85%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026$217m$27m
Total return, 1 year+17.5%+7.0%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer12.1%15.2%
11.8%
BDEC can fall this far before its buffer
6.2%
NOVM can fall this far before its buffer
3.7%
BDEC can still gain
0.4%
NOVM can still gain
BDECBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capBDEC: reference +13.7% since period start, fund +12.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +17.4%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.9 pts+13.7% gained−9.0% floor0% period start+17.4% cap+3.7% more to the capTODAY · SPY +13.7%Between buffer and capBDEC: reference +13.7% since period start, fund +12.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +17.4%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.−9.0% floor0% start+17.4% cap9 pts of buffer+13.7% gain captured+3.7% more to the capTODAY · SPY +13.7%

BDEC: reference +13.7% since period start, fund +12.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +17.4%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

BDEC: reference +13.7% since period start, fund +12.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +17.4%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

NOVMAt its cap
At its capNOVM: reference +17.9% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.58 pts of buffer+7%−58.0% floor0% period start+7.0% capTODAY · SPY +17.9%At its capNOVM: reference +17.9% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.58 pts of buffer−58.0% floor0% start+7.0% cap+7% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +17.9%

NOVM: reference +17.9% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

NOVM: reference +17.9% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

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

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

Where each one stands today

NOVM resets first, on Nov 20, 2026, 38 days from now; BDEC runs to Nov 30, 2026, 48 days. BDEC can still gain 3.7% before its cap, NOVM 0.4%. A fall from here reaches BDEC’s buffer after 11.8% and NOVM’s after 6.2%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: BDEC vs NOVM: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowBDECNOVMBDECNOVM
3 months+4.0%+1.6%+0.1 pts−2.2 pts
6 months+11.0%+3.8%−2.4 pts−9.6 pts
1 year+17.5%+7.0%−1.6 pts−12.2 pts
3 years+57.5%not published−22.8 ptsnot published
Since launch
Not the same days: BDEC Dec 2019 · NOVM Nov 2024
+111.2%+12.7%−38.5 pts−19.6 pts

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

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
NOVM
FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - November · Absorbs the first 58% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 7.0%, over a period ending Nov 20, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 9% 58%
Outcome period Nov 30, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026 Nov 24, 2025 to Nov 20, 2026
Days left 48 38
Starting cap +17.4% +7.0%
Can still gain 3.7% 0.4%
Fall before buffer 11.8% 6.2%
Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 58.0% of 58.0%
Index return this period +13.7% +17.9%
Fund return this period +12.5% +5.8%
State today Open At cap
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026 $217m $27m

As of Oct 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About BDEC

From its price on Oct 13, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.7% 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 12.1% 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. 48 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Nov 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About NOVM

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +7.0% for the period on Oct 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 0.4% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 6.2% 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: 58.0% of the 58.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 38 days remained on Oct 13, 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 NOVM?
From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, BDEC can gain about 3.7% before its cap and NOVM about 0.4%, so BDEC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BDEC or NOVM?
BDEC ends its outcome period on Nov 30, 2026 and NOVM on Nov 20, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BDEC or NOVM?
BDEC charges 0.79% a year and NOVM charges 0.85%, so BDEC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from

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.

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ETFIQ, BDEC against NOVM, data as of Oct 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bdec-vs-novm

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