

FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly 2.5 to 15 Buffer ETF
$38.26−0.01 (−0.01%)
- 0.85%
- $78M
- +16.3%
- 0M sh
- $38.25
- low $32.97high $38.30
The ETF.net DHDG Grade
Score 44 out of 100
- 49 of 77
Score 44 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.F11 out of 100Rank 60 of 77Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A77 out of 100Rank 5 of 76Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B61 out of 100Rank 29 of 77Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B62 out of 100Rank 14 of 44Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B58 out of 100Rank 30 of 77
Our read on DHDG
CMost buffer ETFs lock in one cap for a full year. DHDG re-strikes every quarter against the S&P 500 ETF's price return, and it asks for a deductible: you take the first 2.5% of a drop, the fund absorbs the next 12.5 points.
The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust before fees and expenses, subject to a 4.30% upside cap, while buffering losses in the -2.5% to -15% range during the stated outcome period.
Why people hold it
- The buffer skips the first 2.5% of losses and runs down to -15%, spending its protection on a real drawdown rather than the first wobble.ftportfolios.com
- Quarterly outcome periods reset the terms four times a year, so the cap is struck against current market conditions instead of one date twelve months back.
- A plain 1940 Act ETF, not a structured note from a bank, and it lands in the upper half of a crowded field of S&P 500 buffer funds.
Worth knowing
- The 0.85% expense ratio sits above cheaper laddered buffer options such as BUFP (0.50%) and IVVM (0.53%).
- Upside is capped each quarter and the cap is fixed at the period's start. Buy mid-period and your effective cap and remaining buffer differ from the stated terms.
- The reference is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust's price return, so index dividends sit outside the outcome and this hasn't been an income payer.
DHDG Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 101%
- 2026-10-16 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 7.43
Sectors
- Technology40.1%
- Financials11.3%
- Communication9.9%
- Health Care9.4%
- Consumer Discretionary8.7%
- Industrials7.6%
- Consumer Staples4.4%
- Energy3.4%
- Utilities1.9%
- Real Estate1.7%
- Materials1.6%
DHDG Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Returns run to the Oct 12, 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.
| Period | DHDG |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +12.5% |
| 1 month | +1.7% |
| 3 months | +3.9% |
| 1 year | +16.3% |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | DHDG |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +12.5% | |
| 2025 | +11.4% | |
| 2024 | +0.5% |
DHDG in the news

Filings Digest
AllianzIM launches OCTI and resets October buffer terms




DHDG Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
DHDG Risk
- 6.5%
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.
- 1.22
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.
- −8.3%
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.
- 0.46
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
DHDG Cost
- The middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 9-12% funds
- Median 0.79%
59 of the 77 S&P 500 Buffer 9-12% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%
- CFJULFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - JulyExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +14.8%
- CFSEPFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - SeptemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +16.0%
- CFNOVFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - NovemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +16.1%
- CBNOVInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +15.7%
- CDECZTrueShares Structured Outcome (December) ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +14.5%