# DDEC (FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - December)

First Trust · Buffer ETFs · data as of Sep 11, 2026

As of Sep 11, 2026, DDEC has reached its cap.

## Key facts

- DDEC, past the cap, price drift left: 3.2%, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- DDEC, fall before the buffer: 12.6%, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- DDEC, protection left, index points: 25.0%, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- DDEC, days to reset: 98, as of Sep 11, 2026.
- DDEC, net assets: $438m (issuer page, as of Sep 11, 2026).
- DDEC, expense ratio: 0.85% (issuer page, Sep 11, 2026).

## DDEC over each window to Sep 11, 2026

| Window | Total return | SPY | Gap to SPY |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 3 months | +2.8% | +3.3% | −0.5 pts |
| 6 months | +8.9% | +16.0% | −7.1 pts |
| 1 year | +11.7% | +17.5% | −5.8 pts |
| 3 years | +41.7% | +77.9% | −36.2 pts |

## Every published field

| Field | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reference index | SPY | ETFIQ |
| Buffer | 5% to 30% | ETFIQ |
| Outcome period | Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026 | ETFIQ |
| Starting cap | +12.0% | ETFIQ |
| SPY return since period start | +12.3% | ETFIQ |
| Fund return since period start | +7.7% | ETFIQ |
| Net assets | $438m | issuer page, as of Sep 11, 2026 |
| Band state today | At cap | ETFIQ |
| Can still gain | 3.2% | issuer, fund price |
| Fall before buffer | 12.6% | issuer, fund price |
| Fall to the buffer in index terms | 15.4% | ETFIQ |
| Protection left in index points | 25.0% of 25.0% | ETFIQ |
| Days left in period | 98 | ETFIQ |
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | issuer page, Sep 11, 2026 |

## Questions

### How much can DDEC still gain?

Nothing more in index terms on Sep 11, 2026. SPY has already passed the cap of +12.0% for this period, which runs from Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026.

### How far can DDEC fall before the buffer helps?

12.6% in fund-price terms on Sep 11, 2026, by the issuer's figure. In index terms SPY can fall 15.4% from that level before the buffer begins. Losses until that point are the holder's.

### How much of the DDEC buffer is left?

25.0% of the 25.0% buffer sat below the SPY level on Sep 11, 2026. That is an ETFIQ calculation in index points, on one definition for every issuer.

### When does DDEC reset?

The outcome period ends on Dec 18, 2026, 98 days from the data on Sep 11, 2026. A new cap is set the next day and the buffer starts again.

### What does DDEC cost?

The prospectus expense ratio is 0.85% a year.


## Cite this page

ETFIQ, DDEC, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/funds/ddec
Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at https://etfiq.com/data/.

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