FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - March
$54.02−0.01 (−0.01%)
- 0.85%
- $1.2B
- +17.3%
- 0M sh
- $54.03
- low $46.13high $54.10
The ETF.net FMAR Grade
C
Score 48 out of 100
- 41 of 77
Score 48 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.A78 out of 100Rank 3 of 76Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A74 out of 100Rank 14 of 77Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B63 out of 100Rank 13 of 44Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A83 out of 100Rank 10 of 77
Our read on FMAR
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.
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 Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 107%
- 2027-03-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.49
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%
FMAR 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.
FMAR$11,728
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 | FMAR |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +13.8% |
| 1 month | +1.0% |
| 3 months | +2.8% |
| 1 year | +17.3% |
| 3 years | +14.9% |
| 5 years | +11.0% |
| 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 | FMAR |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +13.8% | |
| 2025 | +9.7% | |
| 2024 | +14.6% | |
| 2023 | +20.4% | |
| 2022 | −5.5% | |
| 2021 | +11.4% |
FMAR in the news
Filings Digest
AllianzIM launches OCTI and resets October buffer terms
FMAR Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
FMAR Risk
- 6.7%
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.
- 1.47
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.
- −14.4%
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.
- 0.50
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FMAR Cost
0.85%
FMAR0.85%
- 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%
- CBMAYInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +13.1%
- CFFEBFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - FebruaryExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +16.2%
- CFAPRFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - AprilExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +11.7%
- CFAUGFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - AugustExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +14.1%
- CFMAYFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - MayExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +12.5%