Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

NVBU vs NVBW: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 NVBU can fall 1.7% before its buffer engages and NVBW 1.4%.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $34m for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Nov and $101m for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer20 ETF - Nov.

At a glance
1.7%
NVBU can fall this far before its buffer
1.4%
NVBW can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
NVBU can still gain
11.2%
NVBW can still gain
NVBU No cap
No capNVBU: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.9%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer−15.0% floor0% period startno cap+1.5% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +1.5%No capNVBU: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.9%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% startno cap+1.5% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +1.5%

NVBU: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.9%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

NVBU: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.9%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
NVBW Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capNVBW: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.20 pts of buffer+11.2% more to the cap−20.0% floor0% period start+12.7% cap+1.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +1.5%Between buffer and capNVBW: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.20 pts of buffer−20.0% floor0% start+12.7% cap+1.5% gain captured+11.2% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.5%

NVBW: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

NVBW: reference +1.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.74% a year; their one-year returns differ by 3.5 points; NVBW is 3.0 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

NVBU vs NVBW: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureNVBUNVBW
Return
Total return, 1 year+7.7%+11.2%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.74%0.74%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$34m$101m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · NVBW scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score83.2NVBU96.4NVBW

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

Risk and return

Nov 8, 2024 to Oct 30, 2026 · 103 weekly returns · each against SPY
NVBU NVBW
Return
Total return edge NVBW (slight) +18.0% +19.0%
Annualized edge NVBW (slight) +8.7% +9.2%
Price return edge NVBW (slight) +18.0% +19.0%
Risk
Volatility edge NVBW 10.0% 6.2%
Max drawdown edge NVBW −10.7% −7.3%
Downside capture 81.1% 40.3%
Beta 0.66 0.41
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge NVBW 0.48 0.81
Sortino edge NVBW 0.72 1.19
Treynor 0.074 0.122
Calmar edge NVBW 0.82 1.26
Against the benchmark
Alpha −1.7% a year +0.9% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.97 0.88
Information ratio −0.92 −0.57
Tracking error 5.6% 8.9%
Reading

From Nov 2024 to Oct 2026, NVBW returned slightly more: +19.0% to +18.0%. NVBW swung less: 6.2% to 10.0%. NVBW fell less at its worst: −7.3% to −10.7%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: NVBU vs NVBW: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureNVBUNVBWSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+18.0%+19.0%NVBW (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+8.7%+9.2%NVBW (slight)Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return+18.0%+19.0%NVBW (slight)Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility10.0%6.2%NVBWSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation6.7%4.2%NVBWLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−10.7%−7.3%NVBWDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture62.9%32.2%100.0%NVBUShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture81.1%40.3%100.0%NVBWShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.660.411.00NVBW lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.940.951.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.480.81NVBWReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.721.19NVBWReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.0740.1220.100NVBWReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.821.26NVBWAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−1.7% a year+0.9% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.970.88Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−5.3% to +1.8%−1.1% to +2.9%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.92−0.57NVBWReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error5.6%8.9%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 103 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: NVBU vs NVBW: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowNVBUNVBWNVBUNVBW
3 months−1.9%+2.7%−1.5 pts+3.1 pts
6 months+1.6%+5.8%−2.9 pts+1.3 pts
1 year+7.7%+11.2%−5.9 pts−2.4 pts
3 years–+35.7%–−40.7 pts
Since launchNot the same days: NVBU Nov 2024 · NVBW Nov 2022+23.4%+48.2%−10.9 pts−51.2 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

NVBU AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Nov · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Oct 31, 2027 NVBW AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer20 ETF - Nov · Absorbs the first 20% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.7%, over a period ending Oct 31, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 20%
Outcome period Nov 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2027 Nov 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2027
Days left 361 361
Starting cap uncapped +12.7%
Can still gain uncapped 11.2%
Fall before buffer 1.7% 1.4%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 20.0% of 20.0%
Index return this period +1.5% +1.5%
Fund return this period +0.9% +0.7%
State today Uncapped Open
Expense ratio 0.74% 0.74%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $34m $101m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Both are AllianzIM funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.

Where each one stands today

NVBU resets first, on Oct 31, 2027, 361 days from now; NVBW runs to Oct 31, 2027, 361 days. A fall from here reaches NVBU’s buffer after 1.7% and NVBW’s after 1.4%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief:

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About each fund
NVBU

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 1.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.4% 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. 361 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Oct 31, 2027 the period ends and new terms are set.

NVBW

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.2% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. On Oct 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, NVBU or NVBW?
NVBU ends its outcome period on Oct 31, 2027 and NVBW on Oct 31, 2027. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, NVBU or NVBW?
NVBU and NVBW both charge 0.74% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, NVBU against NVBW, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/nvbu-vs-nvbw

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