Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

NOVM vs UDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 UDEC can fall 14.1% before its buffer engages and NOVM 6.5%, and NOVM resets 10 days sooner.

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Net assets: $28m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - November, and $235m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Dec.

At a glance
6.5%
NOVM can fall this far before its buffer
14.1%
UDEC can fall this far before its buffer
0.1%
NOVM can still gain
1.4%
UDEC can still gain
NOVM At its cap
At its capNOVM: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +6.0%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.58 pts of buffer+7%−58.0% floor0% period start+7.0% capTODAY · SPY +16.3%At its capNOVM: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +6.0%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.58 pts of buffer−58.0% floor0% start+7.0% cap+7% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +16.3%

NOVM: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +6.0%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

NOVM: reference +16.3% since period start, fund +6.0%; buffer 0 to −58; cap +7.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
UDEC At its cap
At its capUDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.30 pts of buffer+12% gained−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+12.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +12.2%At its capUDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.30 pts+12%−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+12.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +12.2%

UDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

UDEC: reference +12.2% since period start, fund +9.7%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +12.0%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

UDEC costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.1 points; UDEC is 8.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

NOVM vs UDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureNOVMUDEC
Return
Total return, 1 year+6.5%+11.6%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer14.0%15.3%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.85%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$28m$232m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · NOVM scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score69.3NOVM6UDEC

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: NOVM vs UDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowNOVMUDECNOVMUDEC
3 months+1.3%+2.1%+1.7 pts+2.5 pts
6 months+2.9%+5.1%−1.6 pts+0.6 pts
1 year+6.5%+11.6%−7.1 pts−2.0 pts
3 years–+45.2%–−31.2 pts
Since launchNot the same days: NOVM Nov 2024 · UDEC Dec 2019+13.1%+64.1%−17.3 pts−81.9 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

NOVM FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - November · Absorbs the first 58% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 7.0%, over a period ending Nov 20, 2026 UDEC Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Dec · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 35.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 12.0%, over a period ending Nov 30, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 58% 5% to 35%
Outcome period Nov 24, 2025 to Nov 20, 2026 Nov 30, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026
Days left 16 26
Starting cap +7.0% +12.0%
Can still gain 0.1% 1.4%
Fall before buffer 6.5% 14.1%
Protection left, index points 58.0% of 58.0% 30.0% of 30.0%
Index return this period +16.3% +12.2%
Fund return this period +6.0% +9.7%
State today At cap At cap
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.79%
Net assets, NOVM as of Nov 3, 2026 and UDEC as of Nov 4, 2026 $28m $235m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Both are already at their cap, so neither gains from more rise in the index before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

NOVM resets first, on Nov 20, 2026, 16 days from now; UDEC runs to Nov 30, 2026, 26 days. NOVM can still gain 0.1% before its cap, UDEC 1.4%. A fall from here reaches NOVM’s buffer after 6.5% and UDEC’s after 14.1%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

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About each fund
NOVM

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +7.0% for the period on Nov 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 0.1% as the period runs out. 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 14.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 58.0% of the 58.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 16 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Nov 20, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

UDEC

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.0% for the period on Nov 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 1.4% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 14.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.3% 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. 26 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Nov 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, NOVM or UDEC?
From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, NOVM can gain about 0.1% before its cap and UDEC about 1.4%, so UDEC has more room left this period.
Which resets first, NOVM or UDEC?
NOVM ends its outcome period on Nov 20, 2026 and UDEC on Nov 30, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, NOVM or UDEC?
NOVM charges 0.85% a year and UDEC charges 0.79%, so UDEC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Sources and dates

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, NOVM against UDEC, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/novm-vs-udec

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