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DHDG vs DJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 21, 2026 DJAN can fall 12.6% before its buffer engages and DHDG 3.2%. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $79m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly 2.5 to 15 Buffer ETF and $458m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - January.

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Ask IQ about DHDG and DJAN

Answers cite the figures on this page.

Both cost 0.85% a year; their one-year returns differ by 2.8 points; DJAN is 5.8 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DHDG vs DJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
DHDGDJAN
Expense ratio0.85%0.85%
Net assets$79m$458m
Total return, 1 year+13.8%+11.0%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
3.2%
DHDG can fall this far before its buffer
12.6%
DJAN can fall this far before its buffer
3.7%
DHDG can still gain
2.9%
DJAN can still gain

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DHDGBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capDHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.12.5 pts of buffer−15.0% floor−2.5% buffer start0% period start+4.5% capfirst 2.5 pts are yours to lose+1.3% gain captured+3.2% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.3%Between buffer and capDHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.12.5 pts−15.0% floor−2.5% buffer start0% start+4.5% capfirst 2.5 pts are yours to lose+1.3% gain captured+3.2% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.3%

DHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DHDG: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −2 to −15; cap +4.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DJANAt its cap
At its capDJAN: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +11.6%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.25 pts of buffer+11.6% gain captured−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+11.6% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +11.8%At its capDJAN: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +11.6%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.25 pts of buffer+11.6%−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+11.6% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +11.8%

DJAN: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +11.6%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DJAN: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +7.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +11.6%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · DHDG scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score63.4DHDG8.7DJAN

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

0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 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 →

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

Both are First Trust funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.

Where each one stands today

DHDG resets first, on Jan 15, 2027, 86 days from now; DJAN runs to Jan 15, 2027, 86 days. DHDG can still gain 3.7% before its cap, DJAN 2.9%. A fall from here reaches DHDG’s buffer after 3.2% and DJAN’s after 12.6%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: DHDG vs DJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowDHDGDJANDHDGDJAN
3 months+2.9%+2.8%−0.5 pts−0.6 pts
6 months+7.3%+5.8%−1.4 pts−2.9 pts
1 year+13.8%+11.0%−1.4 pts−4.2 pts
3 years–+46.3%–−37.3 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: DHDG Oct 2024 · DJAN Jan 2021
+25.2%+55.7%−7.2 pts−48.5 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. – means no data for this window, usually because the fund is younger than it. Open this comparison in the app →

On the same fields

DHDG
FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly 2.5 to 15 Buffer ETF · Absorbs losses from 2.5% to 15.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 4.5%, over a period ending Jan 15, 2027
DJAN
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - January · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 11.6%, over a period ending Jan 15, 2027
Issuer First Trust First Trust
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 2% to 15% 5% to 30%
Outcome period Oct 19, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027 Jan 20, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027
Days left 86 86
Starting cap +4.5% +11.6%
Can still gain 3.7% 2.9%
Fall before buffer 3.2% 12.6%
Protection left, index points 12.5% of 12.5% 25.0% of 25.0%
Index return this period +1.3% +11.8%
Fund return this period +0.5% +7.7%
State today Open At cap
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.85%
Net assets $79m $458m

As of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About DHDG

From its price on Oct 21, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 3.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 3.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 12.5% of the 12.5% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 86 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Jan 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About DJAN

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +11.6% for the period on Oct 21, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 12.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.0% 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.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, DHDG or DJAN?
From their prices on Oct 21, 2026, DHDG can gain about 3.7% before its cap and DJAN about 2.9%, so DHDG has more room left this period.
Which resets first, DHDG or DJAN?
DHDG ends its outcome period on Jan 15, 2027 and DJAN on Jan 15, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DHDG or DJAN?
DHDG and DJAN both charge 0.85% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
DHDG vs FOCTDHDG vs FJANDHDG vs GJANDHDG vs DOCTDJAN vs FEBTDJAN vs FEBWDJAN vs UOCTDJAN vs DOCT
State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust →DHDG on its own →DJAN on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →
Where these figures came from
DHDG and DJAN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for DHDG ↗First Trust page for DJAN ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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 figure 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 figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, DHDG against DJAN, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dhdg-vs-djan

Open data

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