DJAN vs PSCQ

DJANCFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - January

PSCQBPacer Swan SOS Conservative (October) ETF

In short

DJAN A deep buffer with a deliberate gap: DJAN wears the first 5% of an S&P 500 slide, then cushions the next 25 points, in exchange for a cap reset every January. Crash cushion, not dip cushion.

PSCQ A deep buffer with a deductible: you take the first 5% of an S&P 500 slide, then the next 25 points get cushioned, up to a cap reset each October. At 0.49% a year, it is a low-cost way to run that trade.

Stated mandate

DJAN 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 predetermined upside cap while buffering losses in the underlying ETF's -5% to -30% range during January 20, 2026 through January 15, 2027.

PSCQ The Fund seeks to match the returns of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust before fees and expenses up to a predetermined cap while providing a downside buffer over approximately one year.

Why people hold it

• DJAN Built from FLEX options on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust: declines in that fund between -5% and -30% are buffered across the outcome period, before fees and expenses.ftportfolios.com
• One rung of a full ladder. First Trust runs a deep buffer fund for every reset month (DMAR, DJUL, DDEC and the rest), so staggering start dates is a simple build.
• The 0.85% expense ratio sits right at the median for deep buffer funds built on the same reference, so you pay the category's going rate for the options machinery.

• PSCQ 0.49% a year, at the cheap end of the SPY deep-buffer group. In a capped strategy, fees come straight out of the upside you are allowed to keep.
• Real depth of cushion: underlying losses from 5% down to 30% are absorbed by the options package, 25 percentage points of protection across a full one-year outcome period.paceretfs.com
• October start date. Pacer runs the same conservative recipe in January, April and July windows, so you choose which twelve months (and which cap) you live with.
• Plain plumbing: FLEX options on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, no stock picking, no leverage. It sits in the upper half of its deep-buffer peer group.paceretfs.com

Worth knowing

• DJAN Protection is paid for with a ceiling: upside stops at a cap set fresh each January. A roaring S&P year leaves part of the rally on the table.
• The first 5% of decline is yours, and the terms are designed to work over the full period. Buy mid-period and your cap and remaining buffer differ from the headline.ftportfolios.com
• Cheaper cousins exist in the same deep buffer cohort: Pacer's Swan SOS Conservative funds (PSCX, PSCW) charge 0.49%. DJAN also trades lightly, so limit orders earn their keep.

• PSCQ The cap is the price of the cushion. Upside stops at a level set when the October period begins, so a roaring S&P year leaves money on the table.
• The 5% to 30% math is built for holders of the full period. Buy mid-period and your effective buffer and cap depend on the price you pay.paceretfs.com
• A small fund that trades thinly, so spreads can run wider than on big index ETFs. It holds options, not dividend payers, so income is not part of the design.

Full DJAN profile⁠

Full PSCQ profile⁠