FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Buffer ETF - March
$38.640.00 (−0.01%)
- 0.90%
- $623M
- +20.9%
- 0M sh
- $38.68
- low $31.91high $38.75
The ETF.net QMAR Grade
C
Score 45 out of 100
- 7 of 12
Score 45 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.F15 out of 100Rank 9 of 12Mission
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.B67 out of 100Rank 2 of 12Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A70 out of 100Rank 4 of 12Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C53 out of 100Rank 4 of 6Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A82 out of 100Rank 3 of 12
Our read on QMAR
CA one-year seatbelt on the Nasdaq-100. QMAR absorbs the first 10% of losses in the Nasdaq-100 tracker it references and hands back the upside above a cap reset every March, one of four quarterly entry points in First Trust's buffer lineup.
The Fund seeks to match the price return of the Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 before fees and expenses, subject to a 20.86% upside cap, while buffering the first 10% of losses during the March 23, 2026–March 19, 2027 outcome period.
Why people hold it
- The buffer is the whole product: the first 10% of the reference fund's decline is absorbed, before fees, across a defined one-year outcome period that resets each March.ftportfolios.com
- It references the Invesco QQQ Trust itself rather than a paper index, so the payoff is pinned to the same Nasdaq-100 vehicle most investors already hold.sec.gov
- Running since 2021, it has now cycled through several complete outcome periods, and its March, June, September and December siblings let you stagger start dates instead of betting on one.
Worth knowing
- At 0.90% a year it sits at the expensive end of the Nasdaq-100 buffer shelf: QBUF charges 0.79%, PQAP and PQJA 0.50%, QTR 0.25%.
- The stated cap and buffer apply to buyers who hold a full outcome period. Come in mid-period and you inherit whatever cushion and upside room are left, not the headline terms.sec.gov
- Volume is light next to the biggest buffer funds, which can mean wider spreads, and the options structure isn't built to throw off income.
QMAR Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 113%
- 2027-03-19 Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 C 5.81
Sectors
- Technology60.1%
- Communication12.7%
- Consumer Discretionary10.1%
- Consumer Staples5.7%
- Industrials5.1%
- Health Care3.8%
- Utilities1.0%
- Materials0.9%
- Energy0.5%
- Financials0.2%
QMAR 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.
QMAR$12,090
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 | QMAR |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +17.1% |
| 1 month | +1.9% |
| 3 months | +3.7% |
| 1 year | +20.9% |
| 3 years | +16.5% |
| 5 years | +12.1% |
| 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 | QMAR |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +17.1% | |
| 2025 | +10.9% | |
| 2024 | +16.1% | |
| 2023 | +35.5% | |
| 2022 | −16.6% | |
| 2021 | +12.3% |
QMAR in the news
QMAR Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
QMAR Risk
- 8.2%
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.
- 1.41
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.
- −19.8%
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.
- 0.55
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
QMAR Cost
0.90%
QMAR0.90%
- The middle half of Nasdaq-100 Buffer 9-12% funds
- Median 0.79%
8 of the 12 Nasdaq-100 Buffer 9-12% funds charge less.
Other funds in Nasdaq-100 Buffer 9-12%
- CPQJLPGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - JulyExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +14.2%
- CQBUFInnovator Nasdaq-100 10 Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +8.9%
- CQDECFT Vest Nasdaq-100 Buffer ETF - DecemberExpense ratio 0.90%1 year return +20.6%
- CQJUNFT Vest Nasdaq-100 Buffer ETF - JuneExpense ratio 0.90%1 year return +12.3%
- CDDNQInnovator Growth-100 Dual Directional 5 Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return —