FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - March
$45.52+0.02 (+0.04%)
- 0.85%
- $428M
- +14.0%
- 0M sh
- $45.51
- low $39.91high $45.62
The ETF.net GMAR Grade
C
Score 44 out of 100
- 28 of 61
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 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.B69 out of 100Rank 7 of 57Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B64 out of 100Rank 16 of 59Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B60 out of 100Rank 12 of 33Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A75 out of 100Rank 16 of 61
Our read on GMAR
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.
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 Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 110%
- 2027-03-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.51
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%
GMAR 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.
GMAR$11,399
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 | GMAR |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +11.1% |
| 1 month | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +2.4% |
| 1 year | +14.0% |
| 3 years | +12.5% |
| 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 | GMAR |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +11.1% | |
| 2025 | +9.3% | |
| 2024 | +12.2% | |
| 2023 | +11.9% |
GMAR in the news
GMAR Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
GMAR Risk
- 4.9%
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.
- 1.55
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.
- −9.1%
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.
- 0.35
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
GMAR Cost
0.85%
GMAR0.85%
- 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%
- CXOCTFT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - OctoberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +9.7%
- CGJUNFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - JuneExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +9.9%
- 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%
- CGDECFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - DecemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +12.8%