FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August
$42.55−0.03 (−0.06%)
- 0.85%
- $423M
- +11.4%
- 0.1M sh
- $42.56
- low $37.99high $42.61
The ETF.net GAUG Grade
C
Score 41 out of 100
- 37 of 61
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.F13 out of 100Rank 47 of 61Mission
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.C52 out of 100Rank 22 of 57Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A71 out of 100Rank 7 of 59Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C53 out of 100Rank 20 of 33Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A73 out of 100Rank 19 of 61
Our read on GAUG
CThe August rung of First Trust's buffer ladder: it absorbs the first 15% of an S&P 500 drop over a one-year stretch, in exchange for a ceiling on the gains, reset every August. A deeper cushion than plain index exposure, with a lid as the price.
The fund seeks to track the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF up to an 11.89% upside cap while buffering the first 15% of losses during the August 18, 2025–August 21, 2026 outcome period.
Why people hold it
- Absorbs the first 15% of a decline in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust over each one-year outcome period, in exchange for a cap on gains that resets every August.
- Twelve monthly siblings run the same 15% buffer playbook, so entry points can be staggered across the calendar instead of hinging on one start date.
- The reference is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust itself, not a bespoke index nobody can look up.
Worth knowing
- At 0.85% a year, it prices above much of its buffer cohort; Innovator's laddered BUFF lists 0.10%.
- Buy mid-period and your effective cap and cushion differ from the headline terms, which apply to shares held from one August reset to the next.
- Thinly traded next to the category's giants, so limit orders matter, and the options structure passes through no dividend income.
GAUG Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 104%
- 2027-08-20 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 7.68
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%
GAUG 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.Not enough history yet.
GAUG$11,144
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 | GAUG |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +8.4% |
| 1 month | +1.2% |
| 3 months | +2.3% |
| 1 year | +11.4% |
| 3 years | +12.7% |
| 5 years | — |
| 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 | GAUG |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +8.4% | |
| 2025 | +11.3% | |
| 2024 | +11.8% | |
| 2023 | +5.8% |
GAUG in the news
GAUG Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
GAUG Risk
- 5.8%
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.
- 1.32
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.
- −10.1%
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.
- 0.46
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
GAUG Cost
0.85%
GAUG0.85%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds
- Median 0.79%
36 of the 51 S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 15%
- CGSEPFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - SeptemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +13.0%
- CJULUAIM ETF Products Trust - AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped Jul ETFExpense ratio 0.74%1 year return +13.9%
- CGFEBFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - FebruaryExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +12.8%
- CGJANFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - JanuaryExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +12.4%
- CARLUAIM ETF Products Trust - AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped Apr ETFExpense ratio 0.74%1 year return +12.4%