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DFEB vs DJUL

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - February

DFEBCCboe

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - July

DJULCCboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.

DFEB0.85%DJUL0.85%

Avg volume · 30D

DJUL 1.9×the volume

DFEB13.6KDJUL25.4K

5Y return · a year

DJUL +0.8pt

DFEB+8.1%DJUL+8.9%

DFEB vs DJUL Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+47.8%DFEB+53.0%DJUL

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. DFEB +47.8%. DJUL +53.0%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−10%0%10%20%30%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
DFEB 0.85%
DJUL 0.85%
Fund size
DFEB $456M
DJUL $492M
1Y total return
DFEB +10.2%, better
DJUL +8.5%
Holdings
DFEB 3
DJUL 3
Avg volume (30D)
DFEB 13.6K sh
DJUL 25.4K sh, better
NAV per share
DFEB $51.65
DJUL $51.11
52W range

ETF.net Grade

DFEB: Cost 31, Risk 66, Mission not scored, Tradability 77, Holdings 63, Durability 74. DJUL: Cost 31, Risk 33, Mission not scored, Tradability 81, Holdings 71, Durability 83.
Pillar letters and Scores for DFEB, DJUL, with each pillar’s weight
PillarDFEBDJUL
Cost30% weightD31D31
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightB66HigherD33
Tradability15% weightA77A81Higher
Holdings10% weightB63A71Higher
Durability5% weightA74A83Higher

Rank among S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30% funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. DFEB and DJUL are both graded against the same 19 S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30% funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30%⁠

Category · 19 funds
See all 19 ›

DFEB ranks 4th and DJUL 9th of 19 funds in the S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30% Category.

  1. Rank 1BPSCXPacer Swan SOS Conservative (January) ETFScore 63
  2. Rank 1BUFEBInnovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETFScore 63
  3. Rank 3BPSCQPacer Swan SOS Conservative (October) ETFScore 60
  4. Rank 4CDFEBFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - FebruaryScore 54
  5. Rank 4CPSCWPacer Swan SOS Conservative (April) ETFScore 54
  6. Rank 6CPSCJPacer Swan SOS Conservative (July) ETFScore 50
  7. Rank 9CDJULFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - JulyScore 49
  8. Rank 10CDAUGFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - AugustScore 47

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

DFEBCFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - February

DJULCFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - July

In short

DFEB A buffer with a deductible. DFEB lets the first 5% of a drop in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust land on you, then covers the next 25 points, in exchange for an upside cap that resets every February.

DJUL Deep buffer, July vintage. DJUL leaves you the first 5% of an S&P 500 drawdown, then is built to absorb the next 25 points through its one-year outcome period. The price for that: upside stops at a cap reset each July.

Stated mandate

DFEB The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust before fees and expenses, subject to an 11.87% upside cap, while protecting against Underlying ETF losses from -5% through -30% during the February 23, 2026–February 19, 2027 outcome period.

DJUL DJUL seeks to match the price return of the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, subject to a 13.60% upside cap. It seeks protection against underlying losses between 5% and 30% during the stated outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • DFEB Deep coverage where it hurts: the fund targets protection against reference-ETF losses from -5% through -30%, a 25-point band, over each one-year outcome period.
  • One of twelve monthly vintages on the same reference ETF (DMAR, DJUN, DDEC and the rest), so entries can be laddered across the calendar instead of hinging on one start date.
  • Running since 2020, it has rolled through several full outcome periods, and it sits in the upper half of its deep-buffer peer group.
  • At 0.85%, the fee sits right at the median for deep-buffer funds tracking this kind of strategy.
  • DJUL The "deep" part is real: protection is designed to kick in from 5% down to 30% down on the reference fund, a wider shock absorber than standard 10% buffer products.ftportfolios.com
  • One of twelve monthly copies of the same deep-buffer recipe, so start dates can be laddered across the calendar instead of riding on a single July reset.
  • Fee lands at 0.85%, dead level with the median of its deep-buffer peer group.
  • Running since 2020, with multiple full outcome periods behind it and a multi-hundred-million-dollar asset base.

Worth knowing

  • DFEB The trade for depth: you absorb the first 5% of losses yourself, and gains stop at a cap that is reset each February from option pricing at the time.
  • It tracks price return only, so the reference ETF's dividends are not passed along, and the fund has not been paying distributions.
  • Cheaper deep-buffer options exist (PSCX and PSCW run 0.49%), and DFEB trades lightly, so limit orders are the sane way in and out.
  • DJUL Cheaper deep-buffer routes exist: Pacer's Swan SOS Conservative funds (PSCX, PSCW) charge 0.49% against 0.85% here.
  • It targets the price return of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, so index dividends sit outside the payoff and the fund has not been an income payer.
  • Buffer and cap are set July to July; step in mid-period and both look different. Trading is thin, so spreads are worth a look.

Full DFEB profile⁠

Full DJUL profile⁠

DFEB vs DJUL Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

DFEB vs DJUL Cost

Same expense ratio

$16,199

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

  • DFEB 0.85%

    $16,199

  • DJUL 0.85%

    $16,199

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • DFEB 0.85%
  • DJUL 0.85%
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530DFEB $16,199DJUL $16,199

Year by year

YearDFEBDJUL
10$1,508$1,508
20$5,706$5,706
30$16,199$16,199

Expense ratio

  • 0.85%DFEB
  • 0.85%DJUL
  • Middle half of S&P 500 Deep Buffer 25-30% funds
  • Median 0.85%

DFEB 8th cheapest of 19 funds

DJUL 8th cheapest of 19 funds

DFEB vs DJUL Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Payout (12M)
DFEB None
DJUL None

Distribution history

DFEBAll DFEB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

DJULAll DJUL payments⁠

No distribution history available.

DFEB vs DJUL Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • DFEB
  • DJUL
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: DJUL −12.5% · Oct 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−12.5%−10%−7.5%−5%−2.5%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
DFEB 6.1%, betterDJUL 6.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
DFEB 1.57, betterDJUL 1.44
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
DFEB −10.0%, betterDJUL −12.5%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
DFEB 0.50DJUL 0.50Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.

Popular comparisons

  • DFEBCvsPSCXB

    FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - February · Pacer Swan SOS Conservative (January) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.85% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • DJULCvsPSCXB

    FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - July · Pacer Swan SOS Conservative (January) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.85% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • DFEBCvsUFEBB

    FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - February · Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.85% · 0.79%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • DJULCvsUFEBB

    FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - July · Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.85% · 0.79%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • DFEBCvsPSCQB

    FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - February · Pacer Swan SOS Conservative (October) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.85% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • DJULCvsPSCQB

    FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - July · Pacer Swan SOS Conservative (October) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.85% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.