ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data
BUFS FT Vest Laddered Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF
As of Oct 9, 2026, BUFS's 4 sleeves can still gain 12.4% on average and can fall 5.6% before their buffers.
12.4%
Can still gain, weighted
5.6%
Fall before the buffers, weighted
13.3%
Protection left, weighted, index points
42
Days to the next reset
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| Window | Total return | IWM price return | Gap to IWM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3M | −1.2% | −5.8% | +4.6 pts |
| 6M | +4.7% | +6.8% | −2.1 pts |
| 1Y | +9.7% | +13.8% | −4.1 pts |
| Since launch | +24.1% | +36.7% | −12.6 pts |
IWM's column is its price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ.
In plain words
KindLaddered buffer ETF: a fund of 4 buffer ETFs
Reference indexIWM
SleevesSNOV, SFEB, SMAY, SAUG
Sleeve outcome periodsabout 12 months each, ending on 4 different dates
Weights (N-PORT)its report for May 31, 2026
Share of net assets in the sleeves ETFIQ reads99.91%
Can still gain, weighted (ETFIQ)12.4%
Fall before the buffers, weighted (ETFIQ)5.6%
Protection left, weighted, index points (ETFIQ)13.3%
Next sleeve to resetSNOV on Nov 20, 2026, in 42 days
Days left, weighted (ETFIQ)179
Net assets (N-PORT)$162m on May 31, 2026
Expense ratio (485BPOS XBRL, Dec 29, 2025)1.01%
Sleeve SNOV, 24.91% of net assetsIWM, period ends Nov 20, 2026, can still gain 2.6%, fall before buffer 13.5%
Sleeve SFEB, 25.03% of net assetsIWM, period ends Feb 19, 2027, can still gain 10.6%, fall before buffer 5.9%
Sleeve SMAY, 25.08% of net assetsIWM, period ends May 21, 2027, can still gain 15.9%, fall before buffer 2.9%
Sleeve SAUG, 24.89% of net assetsIWM, period ends Aug 20, 2027, can still gain 20.6%, fall before buffer 0.0%
How this is computed
Sleeve figures are each issuer’s own, as of the date shown; weights are the fund’s N-PORT; weighted figures are ETFIQ calculations, marked. How these figures are computed
Questions people ask about BUFS
- What does BUFS hold?
- BUFS holds 4 buffer ETFs: SNOV, SFEB, SMAY, SAUG. Its N-PORT for May 31, 2026 puts 99.9% of its net assets in them.
- How much can BUFS still gain?
- Weighted by its N-PORT, BUFS's sleeves can still gain 12.4% as of Oct 9, 2026, each sleeve's issuer figure in fund-price terms.
- When does BUFS reset?
- BUFS itself does not reset. Each sleeve resets on its own date; the next is SNOV on Nov 20, 2026, in 42 days.
Sources and dates
Prices, BUFS and IWM price returnTiingo end-of-day · Oct 9, 2026
Fee, 1.01%Prospectus fee filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
Net assets, $162m on May 31, 2026SEC N-PORT
All fund filingsBUFS N-PORT for May 31, 2026 on SEC EDGAR ↗
IssuerFirst Trust website ↗
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page
ETFIQ, BUFS, buffer ETFs, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/funds/bufs
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). BUFS, buffer ETFs. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/funds/bufs
[BUFS, buffer ETFs (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/funds/bufs)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. The underlying files are at Open data.
Buffer
The first slice of loss the fund absorbs for you over its outcome period, stated on the reference index. A 15% buffer means the index can fall 15% before you take any of it.
The most the fund can return over the period if held from the first day to the last. Quoted gross and net of fees. Set by the option market on day one, so the same fund can have a different cap each year.
The window, usually twelve months and sometimes six or three, over which the buffer and, where there is one, the cap apply. On its last day the options expire, the fund resets, and fresh terms are struck from that day’s option prices.
Reset
The day one outcome period ends and the next begins, with a fresh buffer and fresh terms struck at that day’s level.
How much of the buffer still sits below today’s index level. All of it when the index is above its starting level; less once the index is inside the buffer range.
BUFS, Buffer ETFs, ETFIQ, data as of Oct 9, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. ETFIQ is an independent publisher, is not a fund issuer, broker-dealer or investment adviser, and makes no recommendations.