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Launched

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

GOCTCboeFirst TrustC

$42.69−0.13 (−0.30%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

C43/ 100

Rank 28 of 61 in S&P 500 Buffer 15%

C43/100Rank 28 of 61inS&P 500 Buffer 15%
Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 42.82 to 42.69. Range 42.67 to 43.01. Use the arrow keys to read each point.42.7542.9042.9543.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.85%
Fund size
$450M
1Y total return
+9.9%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
3
Avg volume · 30D
78.6K sh
52W range
low $37.88high $43.25
Launched

The ETF.net GOCT Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

C

Score 43 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Buffer 15%⁠
Rank
28 of 61
Six-pillar profile for GOCT. Scores out of 100: Cost 13, Risk 54, Mission not scored, Tradability 79, Holdings 53, Durability 70. Strongest: Tradability (79). Weakest: Cost (13). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

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.
    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.
    C54 out of 100
    Rank 19 of 60

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A79 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 61

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    C53 out of 100
    Rank 23 of 34

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A70 out of 100
    Rank 23 of 61

Our read on GOCT

ETF.net Research

In short

CThe October link in First Trust's moderate-buffer ladder: it follows the price moves of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and absorbs the first 15% of losses over a one-year stretch, in exchange for a cap on gains that resets every October.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, before fees and expenses, up to a 12.14% upside cap, while protecting the first 15% of losses during the October 20, 2025–October 16, 2026 outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • The cushion is contractual, not a hope: the first 15% of the reference ETF's losses across the outcome period, paid for with a ceiling on upside.ftportfolios.com
  • Twelve monthly siblings (GJAN through GDEC) run the same playbook on the same reference fund, so entry dates can be staggered instead of hinging on one October reset.
  • Buffer depth and cap are written into the fund's documents ahead of each yearly period, so the payoff shape is defined by rules rather than a manager's judgment call.ftportfolios.com

Worth knowing

  • At 0.85% a year it runs above several buffer peers, including POCT and PJUL at 0.79% and the laddered BUFF at 0.10%.
  • It matches price return only, so the index's dividends sit outside the payoff, and the fund isn't built as an income payer.
  • Shares trade thinly, and the buffer and cap apply in full only across a complete outcome period; buying partway through changes the math.

GOCT Holdings

Holdings pillarC53 out of 100Rank 23 of 34 in S&P 500 Buffer 15%
Asset class
Other
Holdings
3
Top-10 weight
104%
Largest holding
2027-10-15 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 7.7197.5%

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%

Geography

  • United States99.53%
  • Switzerland0.26%
  • China0.10%
  • Mexico0.05%
  • Ireland0.03%
  • United Kingdom0.03%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 1.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
1No data2027-10-15 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 7.7197.51%5,908$439M1
2No data2027-10-15 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 763.335.51%5,908$24.8M1
3No dataUS Dollar1.14%5,120,900$5.12M408

Showing 1–3 of 3 holdings

GOCT Performance

Launched Oct 20, 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.
GOCT$10,988
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. GOCT $10,988. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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 GOCT. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodGOCT
Year to date+9.0%
1 month+0.3%
3 months+2.4%
1 year+9.9%
3 yearsper year+12.2%
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 GOCT
YearReturn barGOCT
2026 YTD+9.0%
2025+12.3%
2024+8.2%
2023+6.6%

History from Oct 23, 2023

GOCT in the news

GOCT Dividends

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

No distributions in the last 12 months.

GOCT Risk

Risk pillarC54 out of 100Rank 19 of 60 in S&P 500 Buffer 15%
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
5.8%
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.
1.27
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.
−10.5%
36 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.
0.46
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.

GOCT Cost

Compare GOCT 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.

  • GOCT 0.85%

    $16,199

  • CAUG 0.30% Tied cheapest

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • GOCT 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$20K051015202530GOCT $16,199CAUG $6,149

Year by year

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

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