Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

DECU vs UDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 UDEC can fall 14.1% before its buffer engages and DECU 7.9%.

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Net assets: $52m on Nov 3, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Dec, and $235m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Dec.

At a glance
7.9%
DECU can fall this far before its buffer
14.1%
UDEC can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
DECU can still gain
1.4%
UDEC 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−15.0% floor0% period startno cap+12.2% gained, no 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.
UDEC At its cap
At its capUDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.30 pts of buffer+12% gain captured−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+12.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +12.2%At its capUDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.30 pts of buffer+12%−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+12.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +12.2%

UDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

UDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

DECU costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.6 points; UDEC is 4.5 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DECU vs UDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureDECUUDEC
Return
Total return, 1 year+9.0%+11.6%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer10.9%15.3%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.74%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$52m$232m
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 Score59.4DECU6UDEC

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 UDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowDECUUDECDECUUDEC
3 months−1.4%+2.1%−1.0 pts+2.5 pts
6 months+2.3%+5.1%−2.2 pts+0.6 pts
1 year+9.0%+11.6%−4.6 pts−2.0 pts
3 years–+45.2%–−31.2 pts
Since launchNot the same days: DECU Dec 2024 · UDEC Dec 2019+17.7%+64.1%−9.3 pts−81.9 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

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 UDEC Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Dec · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 35.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 12.0%, over a period ending Nov 30, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 5% to 35%
Outcome period Dec 1, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026 Nov 30, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026
Days left 26 26
Starting cap uncapped +12.0%
Can still gain uncapped 1.4%
Fall before buffer 7.9% 14.1%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 30.0% of 30.0%
Index return this period +12.2% +12.2%
Fund return this period +7.7% +9.7%
State today Uncapped At cap
Expense ratio 0.74% 0.79%
Net assets, DECU as of Nov 3, 2026 and UDEC as of Nov 4, 2026 $52m $235m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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

Where each one stands today

DECU resets first, on Nov 30, 2026, 26 days from now; UDEC runs to Nov 30, 2026, 26 days. A fall from here reaches DECU’s buffer after 7.9% and UDEC’s after 14.1%. 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.

UDEC

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.0% 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 1.4% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 14.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.3% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 30.0% of the 30.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. On Nov 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, DECU or UDEC?
DECU ends its outcome period on Nov 30, 2026 and UDEC on Nov 30, 2026. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DECU or UDEC?
DECU charges 0.74% a year and UDEC charges 0.79%, so DECU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Sources and dates

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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, DECU against UDEC, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/decu-vs-udec

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