Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
DFEB vs MARU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 DFEB can fall 12.2% before its buffer engages and MARU 8.2%, and DFEB resets 9 days sooner.
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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $456m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - February and $35m for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Mar.
DFEB: reference +11.2% since period start, fund +7.2%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +11.9%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
DFEB: reference +11.2% since period start, fund +7.2%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +11.9%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.MARU: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +8.1%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
MARU: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +8.1%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
MARU costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.4 points; DFEB is 13.0 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | DFEB | MARU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.1% | +8.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 14.6% | 10.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 0.74% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $456m | $35m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
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
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 →
Window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | DFEB | MARU | DFEB | MARU |
| 3 months | +1.4% | −1.2% | +1.8 pts | −0.8 pts |
| 6 months | +4.1% | +2.5% | −0.4 pts | −2.0 pts |
| 1 year | +11.1% | +8.7% | −2.4 pts | −4.9 pts |
| 3 years | +47.2% | – | −29.2 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: DFEB Feb 2020 · MARU Mar 2025 | +71.4% | +21.7% | −66.4 pts | −9.7 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
As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
Where each one stands today
DFEB resets first, on Feb 19, 2027, 107 days from now; MARU runs to Feb 28, 2027, 116 days. A fall from here reaches DFEB’s buffer after 12.2% and MARU’s after 8.2%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
DFEB
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.6% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 12.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 14.6% 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. 107 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Feb 19, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
MARU
This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 8.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.5% 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. 116 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Feb 28, 2027 the period ends and new terms are set.
Questions people ask
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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, DFEB against MARU, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dfeb-vs-maru
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). DFEB against MARU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dfeb-vs-maru
[DFEB against MARU (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dfeb-vs-maru)
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