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BGLD

GradeDChicago Board Options Exchange

FT Vest Gold Strategy Quarterly Buffer ETF

Buffered · First Trust · Inception 2021-01-20 · SEC filings

$16.70−0.19 (−1.12%)

As of Sep 23, 2026, 3:04 PM EDT

Intraday session: down, 26 prints from 16.89 to 16.70. Range 16.63 to 16.71. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$16.64$16.66$16.6810 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.91%
Fund size
$55M
1Y return
+3.3%
Yield · Last 12 months
44.90%
Holdings
4
Volume · 30D
0M sh
NAV per share
$16.79
52W range
low $16.11high $25.34

The ETF.net BGLD Grade

D

29/ 100

Rank 10 of 11 in Other Buffered⁠

Confidence Medium

Six-pillar profile for BGLD. Scores out of 100: Cost 4, Risk 27, Mission not scored, Tradability 68, Holdings not scored, Durability 84. Strongest: Durability (84). Weakest: Cost (4). Based on 4 of 6 pillars.
F< 25
D≥ 25
C≥ 40
B≥ 55
A≥ 70

Score 29 of 100 sits in the D band. Bands: A ≥ 70, B ≥ 55, C ≥ 40, D ≥ 25, F < 25; the scale skips E.

  • Cost

    What you pay to own it — the expense ratio plus trading frictions, ranked within its category.
    FScore 4
    Category rank11/11 · bottom quartile

  • Mission

    How faithfully it does the job it claims — tracking its mandate or index with minimal slippage.
    Not scored
    —

  • Risk

    How violently it can move — volatility, drawdown depth, and downside capture versus its category.
    DScore 27
    Category rank9/11 · bottom quartile

  • Tradability

    How cheaply and easily you can get in and out — liquidity, spread, and premium/discount stability.
    BScore 68
    Category rank2/11 · top 18%

  • Holdings

    What it actually owns — the quality, breadth, and concentration of the underlying portfolio.
    Not scored
    —

  • Durability

    Whether it will still be here — the fund’s assets, age, flows, and issuer staying power.
    AScore 84
    Category rank2/11 · top 18%

Graded as of Sep 22, 2026 · Based on 4 of 6 pillars

Our read on BGLD

ETF.net Research

DBuffer ETFs almost always wrap stocks. BGLD wraps gold: it aims to track the SPDR Gold Trust's price up to a cap reset every quarter, while cushioning a slice of GLD's losses once the first 5% is gone.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to match the price return of the SPDR® Gold Trust, before fees and expenses, subject to a predetermined upside cap and protection against specified losses during the target outcome period.

Why people hold it

  1. 01A rare shape: defined-outcome mechanics pointed at gold instead of the S&P 500. It targets GLD's price return up to a preset cap and buffers GLD losses from -5% to -15% each period.ftportfolios.com
  2. 02Quarterly resets, not annual. The cap and buffer refresh four times a year, so holders are not tied to terms struck twelve months earlier.ftportfolios.com
  3. 03Running since 2021, so the strategy has been tested through real gold swings rather than a backtest. Under the hood: Treasuries, cash, and FLEX options on GLD held via a wholly owned subsidiary.ftportfolios.com

Worth knowing

  1. 01The cushion is a middle slice, not a floor. GLD's first 5% of decline lands on you, and the buffer stops working past -15%.ftportfolios.com
  2. 02Upside is capped, and the cap is set at each period's start. Buy mid-quarter and your own cap and remaining buffer differ from the headline terms.ftportfolios.com
  3. 030.91% a year sits at the pricier end of the buffer aisle, and the fund trades thinly, so limit orders do real work here.

BGLD Holdings

As of Sep 21, 2026, 5:48 PM
Asset class
Other
Holdings
4
Top-10 weight
101%
Largest holding
U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 11/27/202694.5%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 1.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
001—U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 11/27/202694.52%52,195,000$52M25
002—2026-11-30 SPDR® Gold Trust C 3886.32%1,353$3M1
003—US Dollar0.65%355,218$355K394

Showing 1–3 of 3 holdings

BGLD Performance

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

BGLD$10,327
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,723
Sep 22, 2025 to Sep 22, 2026. BGLD $10,327. SPY $11,723. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,353$10,646$11,940Sep 2025Mar 2026Sep 2026

Sep 22, 2025 – Sep 22, 2026

Returns run to the Sep 22, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for BGLD. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodBGLD
Year to date−1.3%
1 month−4.5%
3 months+1.9%
1 year+3.3%
3 years+19.7%per year
5 years+12.4%per year
10 yearsFund is under 10 years old—per year

As of the close, with distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for BGLD
YearReturn barBGLD
2026 YTD−1.3%
2025+34.4%
2024+21.7%
2023+13.1%
2022−2.4%
2021−5.6%

History from Jan 21, 2021

BGLD in the news

ETF.net Research hasn’t filed on BGLD yet — coverage lands here as it’s written.

BGLD Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Sep 22, 2026.
44.90%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$7.58Last 12 months
Last payment
$7.58 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2022–2026

One bar per payment. 4 payments from 2022 to 2026 YTD. Dec 1, 2022 $0.07; Dec 1, 2023 $1.97; Dec 2, 2024 $4.60; Dec 29, 2025 $7.58. Use the arrow keys to read each point.20222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 29, 2025Dec 31, 2025$7.58
Dec 2, 2024Dec 3, 2024$4.60
Dec 1, 2023Dec 5, 2023$1.97
Dec 1, 2022Dec 5, 2022$0.07

BGLD Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
10.4%
Annualised · 36 months to Aug 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
1.39
vs 3-month T-bills · to Aug 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−15.4%
Trough Nov 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
0.11
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

BGLD Cost

Expense ratio0.91%
  • The middle half of Other Buffered funds
  • Median 0.85%

Every other Other Buffered fund charges less.

BGLD costs $91.00 a year on $10,000. The median Other Buffered fund costs $85.00.