Which has more room to gain, DECM or PQX?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, DECM can gain about 1.5% before its cap and PQX about 3.3%, so PQX has more room left this period.

Which resets first, DECM or PQX?

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

Which is cheaper, DECM or PQX?

DECM charges 0.85% a year and PQX charges 0.50%, so PQX is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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DECM vs PQX: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 DECM can fall 5.2% before its buffer engages and PQX 0.1%, and DECM resets 13 days sooner. FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - December and PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 10 ETF.

5.2%

DECM can fall this far before its buffer

0.1%

PQX can fall this far before its buffer

1.5%

DECM can still gain

3.3%

PQX can still gain

DECMAt its cap

DECM: reference +12.0% since period start, fund +4.6%; buffer 0 to −51; cap +7.0%; At its cap.

PQXBetween buffer and cap

PQX: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.5%; Between buffer and cap.

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

DECM 74.9

PQX 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 →

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, 79 days from now; PQX runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. DECM can still gain 1.5% before its cap, PQX 3.3%. A fall from here reaches DECM’s buffer after 5.2% and PQX’s after 0.1%. 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	DECM	PQX	DECM	PQX
3 months	+1.6%	+2.1%	−0.9 pts	−0.5 pts
6 months	+4.7%	not published	−12.3 pts	not published
1 year	+6.3%	not published	−9.4 pts	not published

DECM and PQX over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

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

PQX

PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 10 ETF · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 3.5%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026

Issuer First Trust PGIM

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 51% 10%

Outcome period Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026 Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026

Days left 79 92

Starting cap +7.0% +3.5%

Can still gain 1.5% 3.3%

Fall before buffer 5.2% 0.1%

Protection left, index points 50.6% of 50.6% 10.0% of 10.0%

Index return this period +12.0% 0.0%

Fund return this period +4.6% 0.0%

State today At cap Open

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.50%

Net assets $36m $5m

DECM and PQX on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

DECM in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +7.0% 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 1.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 5.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.7% 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. 79 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PQX in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.0% 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

Which has more room to gain, DECM or PQX?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, DECM can gain about 1.5% before its cap and PQX about 3.3%, so PQX has more room left this period.
Which resets first, DECM or PQX?: DECM ends its outcome period on Dec 18, 2026 and PQX on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DECM or PQX?: DECM charges 0.85% a year and PQX charges 0.50%, so PQX is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

DECM vs PQV DECM vs PQXX DECM vs QBSF DECM vs QBSV PQX vs DSEP PQX vs FLAO PQX vs FSEP PQX vs GSEP

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

Where these figures came from

DECM filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for DECM ↗PQX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗PGIM website ↗

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, DECM against PQX, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decm-vs-pqx

Open data

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