FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October
$48.21−0.05 (−0.10%)
- 0.85%
- $403M
- +12.2%
- 0M sh
- $48.23
- low $42.76high $48.42
The ETF.net DOCT Grade
C
Score 41 out of 100
- 16 of 19
Score 41 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.D31 out of 100Rank 8 of 19Mission
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.C49 out of 100Rank 9 of 19Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C43 out of 100Rank 14 of 19Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C52 out of 100Rank 10 of 12Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B66 out of 100Rank 8 of 19
Our read on DOCT
CFirst Trust runs a dozen near-identical deep-buffer funds, one resetting each month. DOCT is the October slot: a 25-point cushion against losses, a cap on the upside, and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust as its reference.
The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, subject to a predetermined upside cap, while providing downside protection over the stated October outcome period.
Why people hold it
- Deep, not shallow: the outcome period carries 25 percentage points of downside buffer against the reference fund, versus the 9-to-15 point cushions typical of standard buffer products.
- One rung on a 12-month ladder. Same recipe resets in every calendar month (DMAR, DJUN, DDEC and the rest), so an October start date is a choice, not a constraint.
- Fee sits at 0.85%, exactly the median for deep-buffer funds, and the fund has been running resets since its 2020 launch at a multi-hundred-million size.
Worth knowing
- The reference is price return, so S&P 500 dividends do not flow through, and the fund itself has not been paying a distribution.
- Protection is paid for with a ceiling. A new cap is set each October from market pricing at the reset, and buffer and cap only fully apply if you hold the whole period.
- Cheaper deep-buffer plumbing exists: the Pacer Swan SOS Conservative funds (PSCX, PSCW, PSCQ) charge 0.49%. DOCT also trades thinly, so spreads deserve a look.
DOCT Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 105%
- 2026-10-16 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.63
Sectors
- Technology41.0%
- Financials11.1%
- Communication9.7%
- Health Care9.1%
- Consumer Discretionary8.8%
- Industrials7.4%
- Consumer Staples4.3%
- Energy3.4%
- Utilities1.9%
- Real Estate1.6%
- Materials1.5%
DOCT Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.
DOCT$11,221
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 | DOCT |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +9.0% |
| 1 month | +1.0% |
| 3 months | +2.7% |
| 1 year | +12.2% |
| 3 years | +11.2% |
| 5 years | +8.2% |
| 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 | DOCT |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +9.0% | |
| 2025 | +12.5% | |
| 2024 | +8.3% | |
| 2023 | +16.1% | |
| 2022 | −5.3% | |
| 2021 | +6.9% | |
| 2020 | +122.9% |
DOCT in the news
DOCT Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
DOCT Risk
- 6.1%
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.
- 1.10
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.
- −9.9%
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.
- 0.47
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
DOCT Cost
0.85%
DOCT0.85%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30% funds
- Median 0.85%
7 of the 19 S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30%
- CDMAYFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - MayExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +10.1%
- CDDECFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - DecemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +13.0%
- CCTJLCorgi ETF Trust I - Corgi U.S. Equities 30% Structured Buffer ETF - July SeriesExpense ratio 0.30%1 year return —
- CCTJNCorgi ETF Trust I - Corgi U.S. Equities 30% Structured Buffer ETF - June SeriesExpense ratio 0.30%1 year return —
- CDAPRFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - AprilExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +9.5%