DMAR vs PSCQ

DMARCFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March

PSCQBPacer Swan SOS Conservative (October) ETF

In short

DMAR Deep buffer, March vintage: DMAR wears the first 5% of a drop in the S&P 500 ETF it references, then absorbs the next 25 points, in exchange for an upside cap that resets each March. The terms are written into the prospectus, not left to a manager's hunch.

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

DMAR 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 13.07% cap while buffering the underlying ETF's losses in the 5%-to-30% band during the March 23, 2026–March 19, 2027 outcome period.

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

• DMAR Deep, not decorative: the options package targets losses in the 5% to 30% band on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust across each annual outcome period.ftportfolios.com
• One of twelve monthly vintages in First Trust's deep buffer lineup, running since 2021, so entry points and reset dates can be staggered across the calendar.
• The reference asset is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust itself: plain large-cap US equity, no factor tilt, no stock-picking discretion layered on top.
• Ranks among the stronger implementations in its 18-fund deep buffer cohort, with risk behavior and trading quality doing most of the lifting.

• 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

• DMAR 0.85% is the going rate for deep buffers, but Pacer's SOS Conservative funds (PSCX, PSCW) run a similar playbook for 0.49%.
• It follows price return only, so index dividends are not passed through and income is not part of the design.
• The first 5% of a decline is unbuffered, the upside is capped, and both the cap and the remaining buffer shift for anyone buying mid-period.

• 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 DMAR profile⁠

Full PSCQ profile⁠