Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
DSEP vs PBOC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 DSEP can fall 6.5% before its buffer engages and PBOC 1.2%, and DSEP resets 13 days sooner.
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Net assets: $429m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - September, and $64m on Nov 4, 2026 for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - October .
DSEP: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
DSEP: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.PBOC: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PBOC: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
PBOC costs 0.35 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; DSEP is 6.7 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | DSEP | PBOC |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +10.5% | +10.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 5.6% | 0.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 0.50% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $429m | $64m |
| 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 | DSEP | PBOC | DSEP | PBOC |
| 3 months | +1.7% | +1.9% | +2.1 pts | +2.3 pts |
| 6 months | +5.0% | +4.7% | +0.5 pts | +0.2 pts |
| 1 year | +10.5% | +10.0% | −3.1 pts | −3.5 pts |
| 3 years | +42.5% | – | −33.9 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: DSEP Sep 2020 · PBOC May 2024 | +65.4% | +26.4% | −69.1 pts | −18.4 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
DSEP resets first, on Sep 17, 2027, 317 days from now; PBOC runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. DSEP can still gain 12.9% before its cap, PBOC 11.6%. A fall from here reaches DSEP’s buffer after 6.5% and PBOC’s after 1.2%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
DSEP
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 5.6% 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. 317 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 17, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
PBOC
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.6% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.5% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 330 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
Links are sources, not endorsements. 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 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, DSEP against PBOC, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dsep-vs-pboc
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). DSEP against PBOC. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dsep-vs-pboc
[DSEP against PBOC (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dsep-vs-pboc)
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