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Launched · SEC filings

FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August

FAUGCboeFirst TrustC

$57.16−0.17 (−0.30%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

C47/ 100

Rank 42 of 77 in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%

C47/100Rank 42 of 77inS&P 500 Buffer 9-12%
Intraday session: down, 78 prints from 57.33 to 57.16. Range 57.16 to 57.78. Use the arrow keys to read each point.57.4057.5057.6057.7057.8010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.85%
Fund size
$1.44B
1Y total return
+9.5%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
3
Avg volume · 30D
61.4K sh
52W range
low $46.42high $58.50
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net FAUG Grade

C

Score 47 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%⁠
Rank
42 of 77
Six-pillar profile for FAUG. Scores out of 100: Cost 11, Risk 53, Mission 95, Tradability 94, Holdings 53, Durability 91. Strongest: Mission (95). Weakest: Cost (11). No single pillar leads.

Score 47 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 100
    Rank 60 of 77

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A95 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 9

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C53 out of 100
    Rank 35 of 77

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A94 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 77

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    C53 out of 100
    Rank 30 of 45

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A91 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 77

Our read on FAUG

ETF.net Research

In short

CFirst Trust's August-reset buffer fund absorbs the first 10% of a one-year price decline in the S&P 500 tracker it follows, and caps your upside in exchange. Running since 2019, an early arrival in what is now a crowded category.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, before fees and expenses, up to a predetermined cap while buffering the first 10% of the underlying ETF's losses during the stated outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • The trade is spelled out: first 10% of the reference ETF's price loss absorbed, upside stopped at a cap, dividends left out, clock reset every August.
  • One slot in a full twelve-fund calendar (FJAN through FDEC), so an investor can enter on the August cycle or spread entries across reset months.
  • Live since 2019 and reset every August since, so the mechanics have run through real markets rather than model assumptions.

Worth knowing

  • At 0.85% a year it sits at the pricier end of the buffer shelf: ZALT runs 0.69% and the laddered BUFB 0.10% for related takes on the same idea.
  • Buffer and cap are set for the whole outcome period. Buy mid-period and you inherit whatever cushion and headroom remain, not the headline terms.
  • Trades lightly next to the category's busiest names, so spreads can be part of the entry cost.

FAUG Performance

Launched Nov 6, 2019

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.
FAUG$10,949
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. FAUG $10,949. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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 FAUG. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodFAUG
Year to date+8.3%
1 month−0.5%
3 months+0.4%
1 year+9.5%
3 yearsper year+15.8%
5 yearsper year+8.6%
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

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 FAUG
YearReturn barFAUG
2026 YTD+8.3%
2025+13.8%
2024+14.5%
2023+17.2%
2022−10.5%
2021+11.5%
2020+12.4%

FAUG in the news

FAUG Dividends

This fund pays no distributions.
No dataLast 12 months
Payout per share
No dataLast 12 months

No distributions in the last 12 months.

FAUG Risk

Risk pillarC53 out of 100Rank 35 of 77 in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
7.3%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 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.
1.45
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 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.
−15.9%
Trough Oct 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.
0.63
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.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

FAUG Cost

Compare FAUG and XTR

Overpaying vs XTR, cheapest in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%

$11,040

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • FAUG 0.85%

    $16,199

  • XTR 0.25% Cheapest

    $5,159

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FAUG 0.85%
  • XTR 0.25%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530FAUG $16,199XTR $5,159

Year by year

YearFAUGXTROverpaying
10$1,508$455$1,053
20$5,706$1,769$3,937
30$16,199$5,159$11,040

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