Skip to content
etf.net

Launched · SEC filings

FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - March

GMARCboeFirst TrustC

$45.23−0.09 (−0.20%)

As of Nov 10, 2026, 11:15 AM ET

C44/ 100

Rank 29 of 61 in S&P 500 Buffer 15%

C44/100Rank 29 of 61inS&P 500 Buffer 15%
Intraday session: down, 21 prints from 45.32 to 45.23. Range 45.22 to 45.30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.45.2645.2845.3010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.85%
Fund size
$421M
1Y total return
+12.5%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
3
Avg volume · 30D
29.8K sh
52W range
low $40.01high $45.62
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net GMAR Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

C

Score 44 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Buffer 15%⁠
Rank
29 of 61
Six-pillar profile for GMAR. Scores out of 100: Cost 13, Risk 76, Mission not scored, Tradability 57, Holdings 59, Durability 75. Strongest: Risk (76). Weakest: Cost (13). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 44 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 100
    Rank 47 of 61

  • 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 2 of 60

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B57 out of 100
    Rank 24 of 61

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B59 out of 100
    Rank 15 of 34

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A75 out of 100
    Rank 15 of 61

Our read on GMAR

ETF.net Research

In short

CA March-dated buffer fund: it absorbs the first 15% of an SPY price drop over each one-year outcome period, and in exchange your upside stops at a cap First Trust resets every March.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust up to a 14.10% cap while protecting against the first 15% of losses during the specified outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • The cushion is 15%, one of the deeper standard buffers out there: the fund is built to eat the first 15% of the reference ETF's price decline over the outcome period.ftportfolios.com
  • March is just one door. Twelve siblings (GJAN through GDEC) run the same 15% recipe on different start months, so entry dates can be laddered rather than guessed.ftportfolios.com
  • The rules are printed before you commit: buffer size, reference asset (SPY price return) and the exact outcome start and end dates all come from First Trust's own documents.ftportfolios.com

Worth knowing

  • The 0.85% fee runs above the middle of the buffer peer group, and a laddered alternative like BUFF charges 0.10% for a broadly similar job.
  • It tracks SPY's price return, so dividends sit outside the deal, and there are no fund distributions either. Buy or sell mid-period and you get only part of the buffer and cap.
  • Volume is thin next to the headline buffer funds, so the bid-ask spread is worth a look before trading.

GMAR Performance

Launched Mar 17, 2023

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.
GMAR$11,250
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,339
Nov 7, 2025 to Nov 9, 2026. GMAR $11,250. SPY $11,339. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Nov 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Nov 7, 2025 – Nov 9, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 9, 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 GMAR. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodGMAR
Year to date+10.7%
1 month−0.4%
3 months+0.9%
1 year+12.5%
3 yearsper year+12.1%
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper yearNo data
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 GMAR
YearReturn barGMAR
2026 YTD+10.7%
2025+9.3%
2024+12.2%
2023+11.9%

History from Mar 20, 2023

GMAR in the news

GMAR Dividends

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

No distributions in the last 12 months.

GMAR Risk

Risk pillarA76 out of 100Rank 2 of 60 in S&P 500 Buffer 15%
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
4.8%
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.
1.64
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.
−9.1%
43 months · trough Apr 2025
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.
0.34
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.

GMAR Cost

Compare GMAR and CAUG

Overpaying vs CAUG, tied cheapest in S&P 500 Buffer 15%

$10,050

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • GMAR 0.85%

    $16,199

  • CAUG 0.30% Tied cheapest

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • GMAR 0.85%
  • CAUG 0.30%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530GMAR $16,199CAUG $6,149

Year by year

YearGMARCAUGOverpaying
10$1,508$545$963
20$5,706$2,113$3,593
30$16,199$6,149$10,050

Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 15%

See others