DHDG vs UFEB: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 21, 2026 UFEB can fall 12.0% before its buffer engages and DHDG 3.2%, and DHDG resets 16 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $79m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly 2.5 to 15 Buffer ETF and $170m for Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Feb.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

UFEB costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.9 points; UFEB is 2.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DHDG vs UFEB: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
DHDGUFEB
Expense ratio0.85%0.79%
Net assets$79m$170m
Total return, 1 year+13.8%+10.9%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
3.2%
DHDG can fall this far before its buffer
12.0%
UFEB can fall this far before its buffer
3.7%
DHDG can still gain
3.3%
UFEB 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.−15.0% floor−2.5% buffer start0% start+4.5% cap12.5 pts of bufferfirst 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.

UFEBAt its cap
At its capUFEB: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +7.2%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.30 pts of buffer+11.4% gain captured−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+11.4% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +11.7%At its capUFEB: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +7.2%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.30 pts of buffer+11.4%−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+11.4% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +11.7%

UFEB: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +7.2%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

UFEB: reference +11.7% since period start, fund +7.2%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; 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 Score63.4DHDG13.5UFEB

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 →

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

Where each one stands today

DHDG resets first, on Jan 15, 2027, 86 days from now; UFEB runs to Jan 31, 2027, 102 days. DHDG can still gain 3.7% before its cap, UFEB 3.3%. A fall from here reaches DHDG’s buffer after 3.2% and UFEB’s after 12.0%. 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 UFEB: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowDHDGUFEBDHDGUFEB
3 months+2.9%+2.7%−0.5 pts−0.8 pts
6 months+7.3%+5.4%−1.4 pts−3.3 pts
1 year+13.8%+10.9%−1.4 pts−4.3 pts
3 years–+46.0%–−37.5 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: DHDG Oct 2024 · UFEB Feb 2020
+25.2%+61.8%−7.2 pts−76.8 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
UFEB
Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Feb · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 35.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 11.4%, over a period ending Jan 31, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 2% to 15% 5% to 35%
Outcome period Oct 19, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027 Jan 31, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027
Days left 86 102
Starting cap +4.5% +11.4%
Can still gain 3.7% 3.3%
Fall before buffer 3.2% 12.0%
Protection left, index points 12.5% of 12.5% 30.0% of 30.0%
Index return this period +1.3% +11.7%
Fund return this period +0.5% +7.2%
State today Open At cap
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.79%
Net assets $79m $170m

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 UFEB

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +11.4% 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 3.3% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 12.0% 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: 30.0% of the 30.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 102 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Jan 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, DHDG or UFEB?
From their prices on Oct 21, 2026, DHDG can gain about 3.7% before its cap and UFEB about 3.3%, so DHDG has more room left this period.
Which resets first, DHDG or UFEB?
DHDG ends its outcome period on Jan 15, 2027 and UFEB on Jan 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DHDG or UFEB?
DHDG charges 0.85% a year and UFEB charges 0.79%, so UFEB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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Where these figures came from

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.

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

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