Which has more room to gain, PQJA or QDEC?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, PQJA can gain about 3.5% before its cap and QDEC about 3.5%, so PQJA has more room left this period.

Which resets first, PQJA or QDEC?

PQJA ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and QDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, PQJA or QDEC?

PQJA charges 0.50% a year and QDEC charges 0.90%, so PQJA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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PQJA vs QDEC: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 QDEC can fall 12.6% before its buffer engages and PQJA 11.5%, and QDEC resets 13 days sooner. PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - January and FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - December.

11.5%

PQJA can fall this far before its buffer

12.6%

QDEC can fall this far before its buffer

3.5%

PQJA can still gain

3.5%

QDEC can still gain

PQJAAt its cap

PQJA: reference +20.4% since period start, fund +12.5%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +16.9%; At its cap.

QDECAt its cap

QDEC: reference +19.9% since period start, fund +13.3%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +18.2%; At its cap.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · PQJA scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

PQJA 12.1

QDEC 6.7

0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 293 buffer ETFs with a live outcome period. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

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

Where each one stands today

QDEC resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 79 days from now; PQJA runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. PQJA can still gain 3.5% before its cap, QDEC 3.5%. A fall from here reaches PQJA’s buffer after 11.5% and QDEC’s after 12.6%. Both track QQQ, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference
Window	PQJA	QDEC	PQJA	QDEC
3 months	+3.8%	+3.9%	+1.7 pts	+1.8 pts
6 months	+15.1%	+16.8%	−11.8 pts	−10.1 pts
1 year	+16.8%	+18.6%	−7.0 pts	−5.2 pts
3 years	not published	+63.0%	not published	−46.9 pts

PQJA and QDEC over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

PQJA

PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - January · Absorbs the first 12% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 16.9%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026

QDEC

FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 18.2%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026

Issuer PGIM First Trust

Reference index QQQ QQQ

Buffer 12% 10%

Outcome period Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026

Days left 92 79

Starting cap +16.9% +18.2%

Can still gain 3.5% 3.5%

Fall before buffer 11.5% 12.6%

Protection left, index points 12.0% of 12.0% 10.0% of 10.0%

Index return this period +20.4% +19.9%

Fund return this period +12.5% +13.3%

State today At cap At cap

Expense ratio 0.50% 0.90%

Net assets $34m $691m

PQJA and QDEC on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

PQJA in plain words

QQQ had already risen past this fund's cap of +16.9% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 11.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 17.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 12.0% of the 12.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

QDEC in plain words

QQQ had already risen past this fund's cap of +18.2% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 12.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 16.6% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 79 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, PQJA or QDEC?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, PQJA can gain about 3.5% before its cap and QDEC about 3.5%, so PQJA has more room left this period.
Which resets first, PQJA or QDEC?: PQJA ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and QDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, PQJA or QDEC?: PQJA charges 0.50% a year and QDEC charges 0.90%, so PQJA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

PQJA vs QBQV PQJA vs QBUF PQJA vs CPNQ PQJA vs DDNQ QDEC vs QQBF QDEC vs CPNQ QDEC vs DDNQ QDEC vs QBQF

Invesco QQQ Trust →PQJA on its own →QDEC on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

PQJA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗PGIM website ↗QDEC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for QDEC ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, PQJA against QDEC, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pqja-vs-qdec

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.