FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - March
$34.68+0.02 (+0.06%)
- 0.85%
- $107M
- +6.4%
- 0M sh
- $34.67
- low $32.57high $34.98
The ETF.net MARM Grade
C
Score 51 out of 100
- 9 of 20
Score 51 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.F21 out of 100Rank 12 of 20Mission
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.A88 out of 100Rank 2 of 20Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B64 out of 100Rank 7 of 20Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C54 out of 100Rank 2 of 4Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A91 out of 100Rank 1 of 20
Our read on MARM
CThe far end of the buffer spectrum: MARM aims for the biggest downside buffer the options market will fund on the S&P 500 ETF it references, and pays for it with a small cap on gains. Fresh terms every March.
The fund seeks to track the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF up to a cap while seeking the maximum available downside buffer over approximately one year. For March 23, 2026 through March 19, 2027, it targets a 77.82% loss buffer and a 7.00% gain cap.
Why people hold it
- Protection is the headline. The mandate is the maximum available downside buffer over roughly a year, not the modest slice most buffer funds carve out.ftportfolios.com
- The calendar does the work. A new cap and buffer are struck each March and run about twelve months, so the terms are set before the period begins.ftportfolios.com
- At 0.85% a year it charges the same as the other funds built on the same SPDR S&P 500 reference, DHDG and SQMX, and less than BUFD at 0.95%.
- The ride has been at the gentle end of its buffer peer group since the 2024 launch, which is exactly what a buffer this size is engineered to produce.
Worth knowing
- The cap is what pays for the buffer, so big index years get left largely behind. It also follows price return only, so index dividends do not flow through.
- That 0.85% sits above the median fee in its buffer cohort, and laddered options like PSFF (0.10%) and BUFP (0.50%) deliver risk-managed equity exposure for far less.
- Thinly traded, and the stated cap and buffer run from the March reset. Buy mid-period and your own numbers differ from the headline terms, so limit orders earn their keep.
MARM Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 115%
- 2027-03-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.47
MARM 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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MARM$10,642
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 | MARM |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +4.9% |
| 1 month | +0.4% |
| 3 months | +1.3% |
| 1 year | +6.4% |
| 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 | MARM |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +4.9% | |
| 2025 | +7.0% | |
| 2024 | +6.0% |
MARM in the news
MARM Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
MARM Risk
- 1.9%
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.
- 1.31
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.
- −2.7%
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.
- 0.12
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
MARM Cost
0.85%
MARM0.85%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Max Buffer funds
- Median 0.52%
11 of the 20 S&P 500 Max Buffer funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Max Buffer
- BPMJLPGIM Rock ETF Trust - PGIM S&P 500 Max Buffer ETF - JulyExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +6.3%
- CPMSEPGIM Rock ETF Trust - PGIM S&P 500 Max Buffer ETF - SeptemberExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +6.3%
- CPMNVPGIM S&P 500 Max Buffer ETF - NovemberExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return —
- CSQMXFT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly Max Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +8.2%
- CDECMFirst Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer ETF - DecemberExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +7.0%