FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December
$41.16+0.04 (+0.09%)
- 0.85%
- $394M
- +12.8%
- 0M sh
- $41.13
- low $36.35high $41.19
The ETF.net GDEC Grade
C
Score 42 out of 100
- 32 of 61
Score 42 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.C46 out of 100Rank 41 of 57Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A79 out of 100Rank 2 of 59Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B59 out of 100Rank 14 of 33Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B69 out of 100Rank 23 of 61
Our read on GDEC
CThe December door into First Trust's moderate-buffer lineup: 15% of downside on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust absorbed over a one-year outcome period, in exchange for an upside cap reset each December.
The Fund seeks returns matching the price return of the stated S&P 500 ETF, subject to a 12.08% upside cap and protection against the first 15% of losses during the specified outcome period.
Why people hold it
- Absorbs the first 15% of a decline in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust over each outcome period, the middle setting between shallow and deep buffers.
- The clock resets every December, and sibling funds run the same design in other months, so a ladder can be built without picking one start date.
- The reference asset is plain large-cap US equity, not a niche index. All the shaping happens in the options overlay wrapped around it.
Worth knowing
- Fees run 0.85% a year against a 0.79% median for buffer peers, and the laddered BUFF charges 0.10%. Cost is the main gap in this group.
- Upside stops at a cap set fresh each December, and the fund follows price return, so S&P 500 dividends stay outside the deal.
- Thinly traded next to the category's largest buffer funds, which puts more weight on limit orders and avoiding the open and close.
GDEC Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 104%
- 2026-12-18 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.83
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%
GDEC Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
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GDEC$11,284
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 | GDEC |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +8.8% |
| 1 month | +1.1% |
| 3 months | +2.7% |
| 1 year | +12.8% |
| 3 years | — |
| 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 | GDEC |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +8.8% | |
| 2025 | +12.1% | |
| 2024 | +11.5% | |
| 2023 | +0.5% |
GDEC in the news
GDEC Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
GDEC Risk
- 5.3%
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.
- 1.26
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.
- −10.6%
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.
- 0.42
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
GDEC Cost
0.85%
GDEC0.85%
- 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%
- CGAPRFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - AprilExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +9.8%
- CGNOVFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - NovemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +14.2%
- CGJULFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - JulyExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +12.0%
- CGMAYFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - MayExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +10.4%
- CGSEPFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - SeptemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +13.0%