Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
DECM vs FDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 FDEC can fall 10.4% before its buffer engages and DECM 5.8%.
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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $35m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - December and $1.3bn for FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - December.
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.FDEC: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +10.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +14.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
FDEC: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +10.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +14.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
Both cost 0.85% a year; their one-year returns differ by 7.1 points; FDEC is far larger, $1.3bn against $35m.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | DECM | FDEC |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +6.4% | +13.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 11.2% | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 0.85% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $35m | $1.3bn |
| 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 | DECM | FDEC | DECM | FDEC |
| 3 months | +1.3% | +1.5% | +1.7 pts | +1.9 pts |
| 6 months | +3.0% | +5.1% | −1.5 pts | +0.6 pts |
| 1 year | +6.4% | +13.5% | −7.2 pts | −0.1 pts |
| 3 years | – | +58.0% | – | −18.4 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: DECM Dec 2024 · FDEC Dec 2020 | +11.9% | +86.5% | −17.0 pts | −21.9 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.
DECM is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it 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
DECM resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 44 days from now; FDEC runs to Dec 18, 2026, 44 days. DECM can still gain 0.8% before its cap, FDEC 3.0%. A fall from here reaches DECM’s buffer after 5.8% and FDEC’s after 10.4%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
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. 44 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
FDEC
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 10.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.
Questions people ask
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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.
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ETFIQ, DECM against FDEC, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decm-vs-fdec
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). DECM against FDEC. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decm-vs-fdec
[DECM against FDEC (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decm-vs-fdec)
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