Which has more room to gain, DECM or GDEC?

From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, DECM can gain about 0.8% before its cap and GDEC about 1.8%, so GDEC has more room left this period.

Which resets first, DECM or GDEC?

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

Which is cheaper, DECM or GDEC?

DECM and GDEC both charge 0.85% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Buffer ETFs

DECM vs GDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 GDEC can fall 9.2% 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 $426m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December.

DECM on its own →GDEC on its own →

At a glance

5.8%

DECM can fall this far before its buffer

9.2%

GDEC can fall this far before its buffer

0.8%

DECM can still gain

1.8%

GDEC can still gain

DECM At its cap

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.

GDEC At its cap

GDEC: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.1%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.85% a year; their one-year returns differ by 5.0 points; GDEC is 12.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DECM vs GDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Measure	DECM	GDEC
Return
Measure	DECM	GDEC
Total return, 1 year	+6.4%	+11.4%
Drawdown
Measure	DECM	GDEC
Index fall to the buffer	11.2%
Benchmark
Measure	DECM	GDEC
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Cost and size
Measure	DECM	GDEC
Expense ratio	0.85%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$35m	$426m
Holdings
Measure	DECM	GDEC
Holdings in common	not published

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

IQ Buffer Score71.4DECM47.8GDEC

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

DECM 71.4

GDEC 47.8

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

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 →

Method

Window by window

Window by window: DECM vs GDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	DECM	GDEC	DECM	GDEC
3 months	+1.3%	+1.7%	+1.7 pts	+2.1 pts
6 months	+3.0%	+4.7%	−1.5 pts	+0.2 pts
1 year	+6.4%	+11.4%	−7.2 pts	−2.2 pts
Since launchNot the same days: DECM Dec 2024 · GDEC Dec 2023	+11.9%	+36.7%	−17.0 pts	−25.8 pts

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

Side by side

DECM FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs the first 51% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 7.0%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026 GDEC FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.1%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026

Issuer First Trust First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 51% 15%

Outcome period Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026 Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026

Days left 44 44

Starting cap +7.0% +12.1%

Can still gain 0.8% 1.8%

Fall before buffer 5.8% 9.2%

Protection left, index points 50.6% of 50.6% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period +12.7% +12.7%

Fund return this period +5.3% +9.2%

State today At cap At cap

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.85%

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $35m $426m

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

DECM resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 44 days from now; GDEC runs to Dec 18, 2026, 44 days. DECM can still gain 0.8% before its cap, GDEC 1.8%. A fall from here reaches DECM’s buffer after 5.8% and GDEC’s after 9.2%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Alert

About each fund

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.

GDEC

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.1% 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 9.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, DECM or GDEC?: From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, DECM can gain about 0.8% before its cap and GDEC about 1.8%, so GDEC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, DECM or GDEC?: DECM ends its outcome period on Dec 18, 2026 and GDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DECM or GDEC?: DECM and GDEC both charge 0.85% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

DECM vs FDEC DECM vs FLJJ DECM vs JAJL DECM vs JANW GDEC vs JANW GDEC vs JAJL GDEC vs PQV GDEC vs ZALT

Where to next

State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust →DECM on its own →GDEC on its own →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

DECM and GDEC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

First Trust page for DECM ↗

First Trust page for GDEC ↗

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, DECM against GDEC, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decm-vs-gdec

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.