Which has more room to gain, DDEC or ZALT?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, DDEC can gain about 2.8% before its cap and ZALT about 3.6%, so ZALT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, DDEC or ZALT?

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

Which is cheaper, DDEC or ZALT?

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

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DDEC vs ZALT: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 DDEC can fall 12.9% before its buffer engages and ZALT 0.0%, and DDEC resets 13 days sooner. FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December and Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF - Quarterly.

12.9%

DDEC can fall this far before its buffer

0.0%

ZALT can fall this far before its buffer

2.8%

DDEC can still gain

3.6%

ZALT can still gain

DDECAt its cap

DDEC: reference +12.0% since period start, fund +8.1%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.0%; At its cap.

ZALTBetween buffer and cap

ZALT: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.6%; Between buffer and cap.

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

DDEC 6.3

ZALT 34.3

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 →

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; ZALT runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. DDEC can still gain 2.8% before its cap, ZALT 3.6%. A fall from here reaches DDEC’s buffer after 12.9% and ZALT’s after 0.0%. 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	ZALT	DDEC	ZALT
3 months	+2.6%	+2.0%	+0.1 pts	−0.5 pts
6 months	+9.6%	+5.9%	−7.4 pts	−11.1 pts
1 year	+11.0%	+8.3%	−4.7 pts	−7.4 pts
3 years	+44.8%	not published	−40.2 pts	not published

DDEC and ZALT 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

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 12.0%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026

ZALT

Innovator U.S. Equity 10 Buffer ETF - Quarterly · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 3.6%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026

Issuer First Trust Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 5% to 30% 10%

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

Days left 79 92

Starting cap +12.0% +3.6%

Can still gain 2.8% 3.6%

Fall before buffer 12.9% 0.0%

Protection left, index points 25.0% of 25.0% 10.0% of 10.0%

Index return this period +12.0% 0.0%

Fund return this period +8.1% 0.0%

State today At cap Open

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.69%

Net assets $428m $795m

DDEC and ZALT 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.

ZALT in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.6% more before it reaches its cap. 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

Which has more room to gain, DDEC or ZALT?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, DDEC can gain about 2.8% before its cap and ZALT about 3.6%, so ZALT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, DDEC or ZALT?: DDEC ends its outcome period on Dec 18, 2026 and ZALT on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DDEC or ZALT?: DDEC charges 0.85% a year and ZALT charges 0.69%, so ZALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

DDEC vs XDEC DDEC vs CPSY DDEC vs DDFJ DDEC vs DDSQ ZALT vs FLAO ZALT vs FSEP ZALT vs GSEP ZALT vs OCTP

State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust →DDEC on its own →ZALT on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

DDEC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for DDEC ↗ZALT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for ZALT ↗

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, DDEC against ZALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddec-vs-zalt

Open data

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