FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October
$54.61−0.09 (−0.16%)
- 0.85%
- $1.2B
- +16.4%
- 0M sh
- $54.63
- low $46.63high $54.72
The ETF.net FOCT Grade
C
Score 43 out of 100
- 51 of 77
Score 43 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.C47 out of 100Rank 48 of 76Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A79 out of 100Rank 7 of 77Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B58 out of 100Rank 21 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 FOCT
COne of twelve month-dated buffer funds from First Trust, FOCT absorbs the first 10% of a year's decline in the SPDR S&P 500 fund it tracks, in exchange for an upside cap fixed each October. Index exposure with the sharp edges sanded down.
The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, subject to a 15.09% upside cap, while protecting the first 10% of losses during the October 20, 2025–October 16, 2026 target-outcome period.
Why people hold it
- The trade is spelled out up front: the first 10% of the reference fund's price decline absorbed over the year, upside capped at a level set on the October reset day.ftportfolios.com
- Twelve siblings, one per calendar month (FSEP, FNOV and the rest), so the reset date is a choice rather than a constraint, and the terms reset on the same schedule every year.
- Running since 2020 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, so this October dial has already rolled through a stack of full outcome periods.
Worth knowing
- Buy mid-period and you inherit whatever cap and buffer are left that day, not the headline terms. The full deal belongs to whoever holds from one October reset to the next.ftportfolios.com
- 0.85% a year sits on the higher side of its buffer-fund cohort, where the median is closer to 0.79%. Downside protection carries a sticker price.
- The target is price return, so dividends from the underlying S&P 500 fund don't come along for the ride. This one has not been paying distributions.
FOCT Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 102%
- 2026-10-16 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.64
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%
FOCT 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.
FOCT$11,638
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 | FOCT |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +11.7% |
| 1 month | +1.7% |
| 3 months | +3.8% |
| 1 year | +16.4% |
| 3 years | +13.9% |
| 5 years | +9.7% |
| 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 | FOCT |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +11.7% | |
| 2025 | +14.9% | |
| 2024 | +9.6% | |
| 2023 | +17.8% | |
| 2022 | −7.6% | |
| 2021 | +13.1% | |
| 2020 | +6.4% |
FOCT in the news
Filings Digest
AllianzIM launches OCTI and resets October buffer terms
FOCT Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
FOCT Risk
- 7.8%
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.
- 1.15
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.
- −14.1%
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.
- 0.64
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FOCT Cost
0.85%
FOCT0.85%
- 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%
- 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%
- COCTZTrueShares Structured Outcome (October) ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +14.1%
- CFJUNFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - JuneExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +12.0%
- CXBFRInnovator Equity Managed 10 Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return —