DMAR vs FLAO: which one stands where?
As of Oct 1, 2026 DMAR can fall 12.9% before its buffer engages and FLAO 5.4%, and DMAR resets 12 days sooner. FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March and AllianzIM U.S. Equity Floor5 ETF - Apr.
DMAR: reference +17.6% since period start, fund +8.2%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +13.1%; At its cap.
FLAO: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer −5 to floor; cap +7.1%; Full floor.
These are two different products. FLAO is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DMAR is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
DMAR is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.
Where each one stands today
DMAR resets first, on Mar 19, 2027, 170 days from now; FLAO runs to Mar 31, 2027, 182 days. DMAR can still gain 3.8% before its cap, FLAO 6.7%. A fall from here reaches DMAR’s buffer after 12.9% and FLAO’s after 5.4%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.
Performance, window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | DMAR | FLAO | DMAR | FLAO |
| 3 months | +2.2% | +1.6% | −0.3 pts | −0.9 pts |
| 6 months | +7.5% | +5.4% | −9.5 pts | −11.6 pts |
| 1 year | +12.1% | +2.7% | −3.6 pts | −13.0 pts |
| 3 years | +42.1% | not published | −42.8 pts | not published |
DMAR and FLAO over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
DMAR and FLAO on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DMAR in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +13.1% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 12.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 19.2% 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. 170 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Mar 19, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
FLAO in plain words
From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 6.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 5.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 95.0% of the 95.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 182 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
ETFIQ, DMAR against FLAO, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dmar-vs-flao
Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, DMAR against FLAO, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dmar-vs-flao Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
Other forms
- Plain
- ETFIQ, DMAR against FLAO, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dmar-vs-flao
- APA
- ETFIQ. (Oct 1, 2026). DMAR against FLAO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dmar-vs-flao
- Markdown
- [DMAR against FLAO (ETFIQ, Oct 1, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dmar-vs-flao)