Which resets first, QCJL or QQAU?

QCJL ends its outcome period on Jul 16, 2027 and QQAU on Jul 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, QCJL or QQAU?

QCJL charges 0.90% a year and QQAU charges 0.30%, so QQAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

QCJL vs QQAU: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 QQAU can fall 5.4% before its buffer engages and QCJL 4.5%, and QCJL resets 15 days sooner. FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Conservative Buffer ETF - July and Corgi Growth & Technology 15% Structured Buffer ETF - August Series.

QCJLBetween buffer and cap

QCJL: reference +6.4% since period start, fund +3.8%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +16.4%; Between buffer and cap.

QQAUBetween buffer and cap

QQAU: reference +5.7% since period start, fund +4.1%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +19.0%; Between buffer and cap.

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

QCJL 93

QQAU 74.2

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 →

Where each one stands today

QCJL resets first, on Jul 16, 2027, 289 days from now; QQAU runs to Jul 31, 2027, 304 days. A fall from here reaches QCJL’s buffer after 4.5% and QQAU’s after 5.4%. 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	QCJL	QQAU	QCJL	QQAU
3 months	+4.1%	not published	+2.0 pts	not published
6 months	+11.0%	not published	−15.8 pts	not published
1 year	+12.0%	not published	−11.8 pts	not published

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

On the same fields

QCJL

FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Conservative Buffer ETF - July · Absorbs the first 20% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 16.4%, over a period ending Jul 16, 2027

QQAU

Corgi Growth & Technology 15% Structured Buffer ETF - August Series · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 19.0%, over a period ending Jul 31, 2027

Issuer First Trust Corgi

Reference index QQQ QQQ

Buffer 20% 15%

Outcome period Jul 20, 2026 to Jul 16, 2027 Aug 1, 2026 to Jul 31, 2027

Days left 289 304

Starting cap +16.4% +19.0%

Can still gain 11.3% not published

Fall before buffer 4.5% 5.4%

Protection left, index points 20.0% of 20.0% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period +6.4% +5.7%

Fund return this period +3.8% +4.1%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.90% 0.30%

Net assets $103m $1m

QCJL and QQAU on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

QCJL in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 4.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 6.0% 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 QQQ level. 289 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Jul 16, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

QQAU in plain words

The fund's price can fall 5.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 5.4% 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 QQQ level. 304 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, QCJL or QQAU?: QCJL ends its outcome period on Jul 16, 2027 and QQAU on Jul 31, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, QCJL or QQAU?: QCJL charges 0.90% a year and QQAU charges 0.30%, so QQAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

QCJL vs NAUG QCJL vs QAU QQAU vs NAUG QQAU vs QAU

Invesco QQQ Trust →QCJL on its own →QQAU on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

QCJL filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for QCJL ↗QQAU filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Corgi website ↗

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, QCJL against QQAU, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/qcjl-vs-qqau

Open data

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