Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

vsOpen in the appCompare their flowsaskIQ about these two fundsAsk the committee about these two funds
Buffer ETFs

DECM vs JANU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

Share
Share on XDownload as PDF

As of Nov 4, 2026 JANU can fall 8.4% before its buffer engages and DECM 5.8%, and DECM resets 13 days sooner.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about DECM and JANU

Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $35m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - December and $77m for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Jan.

At a glance
5.8%
DECM can fall this far before its buffer
8.4%
JANU can fall this far before its buffer
0.8%
DECM can still gain
uncapped
JANU can still gain
DECM At its cap
At its capDECM: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +5.3%; buffer 0 to −51; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.50.6 pts of buffer+7%−50.6% floor0% period start+7.0% capTODAY · SPY +12.7%At its capDECM: reference +12.7% since period start, fund +5.3%; buffer 0 to −51; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.50.6 pts of buffer−50.6% floor0% start+7.0% cap+7% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +12.7%

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.
JANU No cap
No capJANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer−15.0% floor0% period startno cap+12.4% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +12.4%No capJANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.−15.0% floor0% startno cap15 pts of buffer+12.4% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +12.4%

JANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

JANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

JANU costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; JANU is 2.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DECM vs JANU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureDECMJANU
Return
Total return, 1 year+6.4%+9.2%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer11.2%11.1%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.85%0.74%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$35m$77m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot 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 Score71.4DECM52.9JANU

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

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 JANU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowDECMJANUDECMJANU
3 months+1.3%−1.3%+1.7 pts−0.9 pts
6 months+3.0%+2.3%−1.5 pts−2.2 pts
1 year+6.4%+9.2%−7.2 pts−4.4 pts
Since launchNot the same days: DECM Dec 2024 · JANU Jan 2025+11.9%+21.9%−17.0 pts−9.3 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 JANU AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Jan · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 51% 15%
Outcome period Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026 Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 44 57
Starting cap +7.0% uncapped
Can still gain 0.8% uncapped
Fall before buffer 5.8% 8.4%
Protection left, index points 50.6% of 50.6% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +12.7% +12.4%
Fund return this period +5.3% +8.3%
State today At cap Uncapped
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.74%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $35m $77m

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.

Where each one stands today

DECM resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 44 days from now; JANU runs to Dec 31, 2026, 57 days. A fall from here reaches DECM’s buffer after 5.8% and JANU’s after 8.4%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Alert

DECM flows, by email on Sundays.

One-click unsubscribe. See Privacy.

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.

JANU

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 8.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.1% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and new terms are set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, DECM or JANU?
DECM ends its outcome period on Dec 18, 2026 and JANU on Dec 31, 2026. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DECM or JANU?
DECM charges 0.85% a year and JANU charges 0.74%, so JANU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Sources and dates

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 JANU, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decm-vs-janu

Open data →

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