Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
DSEP vs PQV: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 DSEP can fall 6.5% before its buffer engages and PQV 0.9%, and PQV resets 260 days sooner.
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Net assets: $429m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - September, and $2.3m on Nov 4, 2026 for PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 5 ETF.
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.PQV: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −5; cap +5.1%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PQV: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −5; cap +5.1%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
PQV costs 0.35 points a year less; DSEP is far larger, $429m against $2.3m.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | DSEP | PQV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +10.5% | not published |
| 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 | $2.3m |
| 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 | PQV | DSEP | PQV |
| 3 months | +1.7% | +0.6% | +2.1 pts | +0.9 pts |
| 6 months | +5.0% | – | +0.5 pts | – |
| 1 year | +10.5% | – | −3.1 pts | – |
| 3 years | +42.5% | – | −33.9 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: DSEP Sep 2020 · PQV Jul 2026 | +65.4% | +2.8% | −69.1 pts | 0.0 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.
They do not reset together. PQV has 57 days of its period left and DSEP has 317, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.
Where each one stands today
PQV resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; DSEP runs to Sep 17, 2027, 317 days. DSEP can still gain 12.9% before its cap, PQV 4.1%. A fall from here reaches DSEP’s buffer after 6.5% and PQV’s after 0.9%. 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.
PQV
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 4.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.9% 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: 5.0% of the 5.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 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 PQV, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dsep-vs-pqv
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). DSEP against PQV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dsep-vs-pqv
[DSEP against PQV (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/dsep-vs-pqv)
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