DDEC vs EALT: which one stands where?
As of Oct 1, 2026 DDEC can fall 12.9% before its buffer engages and EALT 5.0%, and DDEC resets 13 days sooner. FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December and Innovator U.S. Equity 5 to 15 Buffer ETF - Quarterly.
DDEC: reference +12.0% since period start, fund +8.1%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.0%; At its cap.
EALT: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap.
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; EALT runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. DDEC can still gain 2.8% before its cap, EALT 7.0%. A fall from here reaches DDEC’s buffer after 12.9% and EALT’s after 5.0%. 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 | DDEC | EALT | DDEC | EALT |
| 3 months | +2.6% | +2.1% | +0.1 pts | −0.4 pts |
| 6 months | +9.6% | +8.3% | −7.4 pts | −8.7 pts |
| 1 year | +11.0% | +5.8% | −4.7 pts | −9.9 pts |
| 3 years | +44.8% | not published | −40.2 pts | not published |
DDEC and EALT over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
DDEC and EALT on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
EALT in plain words
From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 7.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 5.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% 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.
Questions people ask
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.
ETFIQ, DDEC against EALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-ealt
Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, DDEC against EALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-ealt Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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- ETFIQ, DDEC against EALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-ealt
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- ETFIQ. (Oct 1, 2026). DDEC against EALT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-ealt
- Markdown
- [DDEC against EALT (ETFIQ, Oct 1, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-ealt)