Which has more room to gain, QBIV or YSEP?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, QBIV can gain about 5.8% before its cap and YSEP about 15.5%, so YSEP has more room left this period.

Which resets first, QBIV or YSEP?

QBIV ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and YSEP on Sep 17, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, QBIV or YSEP?

QBIV charges 0.74% a year and YSEP charges 0.90%, so QBIV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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QBIV vs YSEP: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 YSEP can fall 0.5% before its buffer engages and QBIV 0.2%, and QBIV resets 260 days sooner. AllianzIM International Equity Buffer5 ETF - Jan and FT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - September.

0.2%

QBIV can fall this far before its buffer

0.5%

YSEP can fall this far before its buffer

5.8%

QBIV can still gain

15.5%

YSEP can still gain

QBIVBetween buffer and cap

QBIV: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −5; cap +6.0%; Between buffer and cap.

YSEPBuffer working

YSEP: reference −1.0% since period start, fund −0.5%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.9%; Buffer working.

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

QBIV 1.5

YSEP 69.5

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 →

They do not reset together. QBIV has 92 days of its period left and YSEP has 352, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

QBIV resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 92 days from now; YSEP runs to Sep 17, 2027, 352 days. QBIV can still gain 5.8% before its cap, YSEP 15.5%. A fall from here reaches QBIV’s buffer after 0.2% and YSEP’s after 0.5%. Both track EFA, 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	QBIV	YSEP	QBIV	YSEP
3 months	0.0%	+3.0%	−0.8 pts	+2.1 pts
6 months	+5.1%	+7.3%	−1.9 pts	+0.3 pts
1 year	not published	+11.1%	not published	−4.0 pts
3 years	not published	+47.3%	not published	−18.3 pts

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

On the same fields

QBIV

AllianzIM International Equity Buffer5 ETF - Jan · Absorbs the first 5% of loss on EFA and caps the gain at 6.0%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026

YSEP

FT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - September · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on EFA and caps the gain at 15.9%, over a period ending Sep 17, 2027

Issuer AllianzIM First Trust

Reference index EFA EFA

Buffer 5% 15%

Outcome period Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Sep 21, 2026 to Sep 17, 2027

Days left 92 352

Starting cap +6.0% +15.9%

Can still gain 5.8% 15.5%

Fall before buffer 0.2% 0.5%

Protection left, index points 5.0% of 5.0% 14.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period 0.0% −1.0%

Fund return this period 0.0% −0.5%

State today Open Buffer working

Expense ratio 0.74% 0.90%

Net assets $8m $125m

QBIV and YSEP on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

QBIV in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 5.8% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, EFA can fall 0.0% 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 EFA level. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

YSEP in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 15.5% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. Protection left, in index points: 14.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's EFA level. 352 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Sep 17, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, QBIV or YSEP?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, QBIV can gain about 5.8% before its cap and YSEP about 15.5%, so YSEP has more room left this period.
Which resets first, QBIV or YSEP?: QBIV ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and YSEP on Sep 17, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, QBIV or YSEP?: QBIV charges 0.74% a year and YSEP charges 0.90%, so QBIV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

QBIV vs IJAN QBIV vs JANI QBIV vs IBUF QBIV vs YDEC YSEP vs OCTI YSEP vs QBIF YSEP vs IBUF YSEP vs IOCT

iShares® MSCI EAFE ETF →QBIV on its own →YSEP on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

QBIV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗AllianzIM page for QBIV ↗YSEP filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for YSEP ↗

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, QBIV against YSEP, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/qbiv-vs-ysep

Open data

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