Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
DDEC vs DECM: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 DDEC can fall 13.7% before its buffer engages and DECM 5.8%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about DDEC and DECM
Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $437m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December and $35m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - December.
DDEC: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +9.1%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
DDEC: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +9.1%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.DECM: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +5.3%; buffer 0 to −51; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
DECM: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +5.3%; buffer 0 to −51; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
Both cost 0.85% a year; their one-year returns differ by 4.8 points; DDEC is 12.5 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | DDEC | DECM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.2% | +6.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 15.7% | 11.2% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 0.85% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $437m | $35m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
How much of a bear-market fall the buffer would absorb from today's level, ranked against 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 100 is best. How it is computed
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 →
Window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | DDEC | DECM | DDEC | DECM |
| 3 months | +1.7% | +1.3% | +2.1 pts | +1.7 pts |
| 6 months | +4.8% | +3.0% | +0.3 pts | −1.5 pts |
| 1 year | +11.2% | +6.4% | −2.3 pts | −7.2 pts |
| 3 years | +43.5% | – | −32.9 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: DDEC Dec 2020 · DECM Dec 2024 | +62.0% | +11.9% | −46.5 pts | −17.0 pts |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. – means no data for this window. Open this comparison in the app →
Side by side
As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
Both are already at their cap, so neither gains from more rise in the index before the period ends.
Both are First Trust funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.
Where each one stands today
DDEC resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 44 days from now; DECM runs to Dec 18, 2026, 44 days. DDEC can still gain 1.8% before its cap, DECM 0.8%. A fall from here reaches DDEC’s buffer after 13.7% and DECM’s after 5.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
DDEC
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.0% for the period on Nov 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 1.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 13.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.7% 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. 44 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
DECM
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +7.0% for the period on Nov 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 0.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 5.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.2% 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.
Questions people ask
Links are sources, not endorsements. 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 number 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 number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, DDEC against DECM, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-decm
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). DDEC against DECM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-decm
[DDEC against DECM (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-decm)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.