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BUFQ

Grades compare a fund with genuinely similar funds. This fund's comparison group currently has too few members for a fair comparison, so no letter is published.Chicago Board Options Exchange

FT Vest Laddered Nasdaq Buffer ETF

Buffered · First Trust · Inception 2022-06-15

$40.47−0.18 (−0.46%)

As of Sep 23, 2026, 2:15 PM EDT

History starts Jun 16, 2022.
Intraday session: down, 54 prints from 40.65 to 40.47. Range 40.40 to 40.66. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$40.40$40.50$40.6010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.10%
Fund size
$1.7B
1Y return
+16.9%
Yield · Last 12 months
Holdings
4
Volume · 30D
0.1M sh
NAV per share
$40.49
52W range
low $34.25high $41.15

Our read on BUFQ

ETF.net Research

BUFQ stacks four Nasdaq-100 buffer ETFs on a rolling ladder, so a fresh cap and 10% buffer starts on staggered dates instead of one all-or-nothing outcome date. The 1.00% fee is the price of that autopilot.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks capital appreciation through large-cap equity market exposure delivered mainly through a laddered portfolio of four Nasdaq-100 buffer ETFs. Those underlying ETFs seek QQQ-linked returns with an upside cap and a buffer against the first 10% of QQQ losses, while the Fund itself has no stated buffer.

Why people hold it

  1. 01Holds four Nasdaq-100 buffer ETFs, each aiming for index-linked returns with an upside cap and a buffer against the first 10% of losses, on staggered reset dates.
  2. 02One ticker replaces a four-fund defined-outcome calendar. The rolls and the reweighting happen inside the wrapper, not on your spreadsheet.
  3. 03Running since 2022 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund with moderate day-to-day trading activity.

Worth knowing

  1. 01At 1.00%, it sits at the expensive end of the Nasdaq-100 buffer group. Laddered rival PBQQ charges half that.
  2. 02The fund itself has no stated buffer. Cushion lives in the underlying sleeves, each at a different point in its own outcome period, and each caps upside.
  3. 03Not an income vehicle: the strategy has not been paying distributions.

BUFQ Holdings

As of Sep 21, 2026, 5:40 PM
Asset class
Other
Holdings
4
Top-10 weight
100%
Largest holding
QSPT25.4%

Sectors

  • Technology57.5%
  • Communication12.6%
  • Consumer Discr.10.9%
  • Cons. Staples6.1%
  • Health Care3.9%
  • Industrials3.8%
  • Financials2.6%
  • Utilities1.1%
  • Materials1.0%
  • Energy0.5%

Geography

  • United States100.00%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 1.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
001QSPTFT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - September25.40%11,505,433$415M1
002QMARFT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - March25.07%10,753,350$410M1
003QDECFT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - December24.78%11,252,910$405M1
004QJUNFT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - June24.73%12,017,274$404M1
005US Dollar0.03%524,565$525K394

Showing 1–5 of 5 holdings

BUFQ Performance

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

BUFQ$11,688
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. BUFQ $11,688. 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 BUFQ. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodBUFQ
Year to date+13.4%
1 month+2.9%
3 months+3.7%
1 year+16.9%
3 years+17.4%per year
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper year
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper 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 BUFQ
YearReturn barBUFQ
2026 YTD+13.4%
2025+14.0%
2024+16.4%
2023+35.5%
2022+0.7%

History from Jun 16, 2022

BUFQ in the news

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

BUFQ Dividends

This fund pays no distributions.
Last 12 months
Payout per share
Last 12 months

No distributions in the last 12 months.

BUFQ Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
8.6%
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.
1.24
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.
−15.7%
51 months · trough Apr 2025
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.
0.61
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.

BUFQ Cost

Expense Ratio
0.10%