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Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

GJUL vs PBAU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 GJUL can fall 3.4% before its buffer engages and PBAU 2.5%, and GJUL resets 15 days sooner.

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Net assets: $408m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - July, and $40m on Nov 4, 2026 for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - August .

GJUL on its own →PBAU on its own →
At a glance
3.4%
GJUL can fall this far before its buffer
2.5%
PBAU can fall this far before its buffer
10.1%
GJUL can still gain
9.4%
PBAU can still gain
GJUL Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capGJUL: reference +3.1% since period start, fund +2.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+3.1%+10.7% more to the cap−15.0% floor0% period start+13.8% capTODAY · SPY +3.1%Between buffer and capGJUL: reference +3.1% since period start, fund +2.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% start+13.8% cap+3.1% gain captured+10.7% more to the capTODAY · SPY +3.1%

GJUL: reference +3.1% since period start, fund +2.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

GJUL: reference +3.1% since period start, fund +2.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PBAU Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPBAU: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.1%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.20 pts of buffer+2.6%+9.5% more to the cap−20.0% floor0% period start+12.2% capTODAY · SPY +2.6%Between buffer and capPBAU: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.1%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.20 pts of buffer−20.0% floor0% start+12.2% cap+2.6% gain captured+9.5% more to the capTODAY · SPY +2.6%

PBAU: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.1%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PBAU: reference +2.6% since period start, fund +2.1%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PBAU costs 0.35 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.8 points; GJUL is 10.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

GJUL vs PBAU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureGJULPBAU
Return
Total return, 1 year+10.2%+9.4%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer3.1%2.6%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.85%0.50%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$408m$40m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · PBAU scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score83.2GJUL95PBAU

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

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

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 →

Method

Window by window

Window by window: GJUL vs PBAU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowGJULPBAUGJULPBAU
3 months+0.7%+0.9%+1.1 pts+1.3 pts
6 months+4.6%+4.3%+0.1 pts−0.2 pts
1 year+10.2%+9.4%−3.4 pts−4.1 pts
3 years+47.9%–−28.5 pts–
Since launchNot the same days: GJUL Jul 2023 · PBAU May 2024+45.0%+28.9%−23.8 pts−18.3 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

GJUL FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - July · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.8%, over a period ending Jul 16, 2027 PBAU PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - August · Absorbs the first 20% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.2%, over a period ending Jul 31, 2027
Issuer First Trust PGIM
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 20%
Outcome period Jul 20, 2026 to Jul 16, 2027 Aug 1, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027
Days left 254 269
Starting cap +13.8% +12.2%
Can still gain 10.1% 9.4%
Fall before buffer 3.4% 2.5%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 20.0% of 20.0%
Index return this period +3.1% +2.6%
Fund return this period +2.6% +2.1%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.50%
Net assets, GJUL as of Nov 3, 2026 and PBAU as of Nov 4, 2026 $408m $40m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Where each one stands today

GJUL resets first, on Jul 16, 2027, 254 days from now; PBAU runs to Jul 31, 2027, 269 days. GJUL can still gain 10.1% before its cap, PBAU 9.4%. A fall from here reaches GJUL’s buffer after 3.4% and PBAU’s after 2.5%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

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About each fund
GJUL

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 10.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 3.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 3.1% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 254 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Jul 16, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PBAU

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 9.4% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.6% 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. 269 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, GJUL or PBAU?
From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, GJUL can gain about 10.1% before its cap and PBAU about 9.4%, so GJUL has more room left this period.
Which resets first, GJUL or PBAU?
GJUL ends its outcome period on Jul 16, 2027 and PBAU on Jul 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, GJUL or PBAU?
GJUL charges 0.85% a year and PBAU charges 0.50%, so PBAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
GJUL vs PAUGGJUL vs XJULGJUL vs AUGPGJUL vs JULMPBAU vs CPSJPBAU vs CPSAPBAU vs AUGPPBAU vs AUGU
Where to next
State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust →GJUL on its own →PBAU on its own →Method →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
GJUL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
First Trust page for GJUL ↗
PBAU filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
PGIM website ↗

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, GJUL against PBAU, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/gjul-vs-pbau

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