Skip to content
etf.net

Launched · SEC filings

FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - March

FMARCboeFirst TrustC

$53.53−0.07 (−0.13%)

As of Nov 2, 2026, 3:58 PM ET

C46/ 100

Rank 44 of 77 in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%

C46/100Rank 44 of 77inS&P 500 Buffer 9-12%
Intraday session: down, 78 prints from 53.60 to 53.53. Range 53.53 to 53.89. Use the arrow keys to read each point.53.7053.8053.9010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.85%
Fund size
$1.22B
1Y total return
+14.8%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
3
Avg volume · 30D
12.3K sh
52W range
low $46.13high $54.10
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net FMAR Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

C

Score 46 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%⁠
Rank
44 of 77
Six-pillar profile for FMAR. Scores out of 100: Cost 11, Risk 76, Mission not scored, Tradability 64, Holdings 63, Durability 82. Strongest: Durability (82). Weakest: Cost (11). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 46 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.
    Not scored

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    A76 out of 100
    Rank 6 of 77

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B64 out of 100
    Rank 27 of 77

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B63 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 45

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A82 out of 100
    Rank 11 of 77

Our read on FMAR

ETF.net Research

In short

CThe March seat in First Trust's twelve-month buffer ladder. It holds SPY-linked options built to absorb the first 10% of a year's losses, in exchange for a ceiling on gains that resets every March.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to track the price return of the State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust, subject to an upside cap and protection against an initial portion of losses during the stated outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • The mechanism is legible: over each one-year outcome period it targets the first 10% of SPY's decline as a cushion, giving up gains above a cap struck at the March reset.
  • Twelve monthly siblings run the same playbook (FJAN, FAPR, FSEP and the rest), so a start month is a choice, or you can ladder several and stop leaning on one reset date.
  • Running since 2021 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, with the reference asset being the SPY trust itself rather than a bespoke index, inside a standard 1940 Act ETF wrapper.

Worth knowing

  • 0.85% a year sits at the pricier end of the buffer shelf. Laddered alternatives are cheaper, with BUFB listed at 0.10%.
  • The 10% buffer and the cap belong to a full outcome period. Buy mid-period and you inherit whatever cushion and headroom remain, not the headline terms.
  • It trades thinly and hasn't been paying distributions, so limit orders earn their keep and any return has to show up in the share price.

FMAR Performance

Launched Mar 19, 2021

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.
FMAR$11,478
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. FMAR $11,478. 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 FMAR. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodFMAR
Year to date+12.9%
1 month0.0%
3 months+1.7%
1 year+14.8%
3 yearsper year+15.5%
5 yearsper year+10.4%
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 FMAR
YearReturn barFMAR
2026 YTD+12.9%
2025+9.7%
2024+14.6%
2023+20.4%
2022−5.5%
2021+11.4%

History from Mar 22, 2021

FMAR in the news

FMAR Dividends

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

No distributions in the last 12 months.

FMAR Risk

Risk pillarA76 out of 100Rank 6 of 77 in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
6.6%
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.
1.57
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.
−14.4%
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.
0.50
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.

FMAR Cost

Compare FMAR 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.

  • FMAR 0.85%

    $16,199

  • XTR 0.25% Cheapest

    $5,159

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FMAR 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$20K051015202530FMAR $16,199XTR $5,159

Year by year

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

Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%

See others