Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

DECU vs DNOV: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 DNOV can fall 15.6% before its buffer engages and DECU 7.9%, and DNOV resets 10 days sooner.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $52m for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Dec and $410m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November.

At a glance
7.9%
DECU can fall this far before its buffer
15.6%
DNOV can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
DECU can still gain
0.5%
DNOV can still gain
DECU No cap
No capDECU: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+12.2% gained, no cap−15.0% floor0% period startno capTODAY · SPY +12.2%No capDECU: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% startno cap+12.2% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +12.2%

DECU: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

DECU: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
DNOV At its cap
At its capDNOV: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +11.6%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.9%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.25 pts of buffer+12.9% gain captured−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+12.9% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +16.3%At its capDNOV: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +11.6%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.9%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.25 pts+12.9%−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+12.9% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +16.3%

DNOV: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +11.6%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.9%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

DNOV: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +11.6%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +12.9%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

DECU costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.2 points; DNOV is 7.9 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DECU vs DNOV: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureDECUDNOV
Return
Total return, 1 year+9.0%+12.2%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer10.9%18.3%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.74%0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$52m$410m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · DECU scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score59.4DECU2.9DNOV

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: DECU vs DNOV: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowDECUDNOVDECUDNOV
3 months−1.4%+2.1%−1.0 pts+2.5 pts
6 months+2.3%+5.0%−2.2 pts+0.5 pts
1 year+9.0%+12.2%−4.6 pts−1.4 pts
3 years–+47.4%–−29.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: DECU Dec 2024 · DNOV Nov 2019+17.7%+74.1%−9.3 pts−71.6 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

DECU AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Dec · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Nov 30, 2026 DNOV FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 12.9%, over a period ending Nov 20, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 5% to 30%
Outcome period Dec 1, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026 Nov 24, 2025 to Nov 20, 2026
Days left 26 16
Starting cap uncapped +12.9%
Can still gain uncapped 0.5%
Fall before buffer 7.9% 15.6%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 25.0% of 25.0%
Index return this period +12.2% +16.3%
Fund return this period +7.7% +11.6%
State today Uncapped At cap
Expense ratio 0.74% 0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $52m $410m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

DNOV is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

DNOV resets first, on Nov 20, 2026, 16 days from now; DECU runs to Nov 30, 2026, 26 days. A fall from here reaches DECU’s buffer after 7.9% and DNOV’s after 15.6%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

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About each fund
DECU

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 7.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.9% 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. 26 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Nov 30, 2026 the period ends and new terms are set.

DNOV

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.9% 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 0.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 15.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 18.3% 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. 16 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Nov 20, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, DECU or DNOV?
DECU ends its outcome period on Nov 30, 2026 and DNOV on Nov 20, 2026. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DECU or DNOV?
DECU charges 0.74% a year and DNOV charges 0.85%, so DECU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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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, DECU against DNOV, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decu-vs-dnov

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