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GDEC vs PSMO

FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December

GDECCCboe

Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF

PSMOBCboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

PSMO −0.36pt a year

GDEC0.85%PSMO0.49%

Avg volume · 30D

GDEC 5.6×the volume

GDEC41KPSMO7.3K

GDEC vs PSMO Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+10.2%GDEC+10.0%PSMO

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. GDEC +10.2%. PSMO +10.0%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−2.5%0%2.5%5%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
GDEC 0.85%
PSMO 0.49%, better
Fund size
GDEC $426M
PSMO $116M
1Y total return
GDEC +10.2%, better
PSMO +10.0%
Holdings
GDEC 3
PSMO 3
Avg volume (30D)
GDEC 41K sh, better
PSMO 7.3K sh
NAV per share
GDEC $40.88
PSMO $33.50
52W range

ETF.net Grade

GDEC: Cost 13, Risk 42, Mission not scored, Tradability 86, Holdings 58, Durability 69. PSMO: Cost 70, Risk 54, Mission 95, Tradability 64, Holdings not scored, Durability 66.
Pillar letters and Scores for GDEC, PSMO, with each pillar’s weight
PillarGDECPSMO
Cost30% weightF13A70Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredA95
Risk15% weightC42C54Higher
Tradability15% weightA86HigherB64
Holdings10% weightB58Not scored
Durability5% weightB69HigherB66

Rank among S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds

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

Same Category. GDEC and PSMO are both graded against the same 51 S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

S&P 500 Buffer 15%⁠

Category · 51 funds
See all 51 ›

PSMO ranks 1st and GDEC 25th of 51 funds in the S&P 500 Buffer 15% Category.

  1. Rank 1BPSMOPacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETFScore 64
  2. Rank 2BPSMJPacer Swan SOS Moderate (July) ETFScore 59
  3. Rank 20CXOCTFT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - OctoberScore 43
  4. Rank 25CGDECFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - DecemberScore 42
  5. Rank 25CGJULFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - JulyScore 42

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

GDECCFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December

PSMOBPacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF

In short

GDEC The December door into First Trust's moderate-buffer lineup: 15% of downside on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust absorbed over a one-year outcome period, in exchange for an upside cap reset each December.

PSMO A 15% cushion against SPY's first losses, reset every October, for 0.49% a year. Most defined-outcome funds charge more, and the trade is a cap on the upside that gets set fresh at the start of each period.

Stated mandate

GDEC The Fund seeks returns matching the price return of the stated S&P 500 ETF, subject to a 12.08% upside cap and protection against the first 15% of losses during the specified outcome period.

PSMO The fund seeks to track the returns of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust up to a stated cap while buffering the first 15% of losses during an approximately one-year outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • GDEC Absorbs the first 15% of a decline in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust over each outcome period, the middle setting between shallow and deep buffers.
  • The clock resets every December, and sibling funds run the same design in other months, so a ladder can be built without picking one start date.
  • The reference asset is plain large-cap US equity, not a niche index. All the shaping happens in the options overlay wrapped around it.
  • PSMO Charges 0.49% a year versus a 0.79% median across its 15%-buffer peer group, one of the lower-cost ways to own this structure.
  • Pacer's moderate SOS funds (PSMD, PSMR, PSMJ) all price at 0.49%, while the Innovator power-buffer lineup (POCT, PJUL, PJAN) runs 0.79%.
  • The reference asset is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust itself, not an abstract index, so what's being buffered is a fund you can watch tick by tick.paceretfs.com

Worth knowing

  • GDEC Fees run 0.85% a year against a 0.79% median for buffer peers, and the laddered BUFF charges 0.10%. Cost is the main gap in this group.
  • Upside stops at a cap set fresh each December, and the fund follows price return, so S&P 500 dividends stay outside the deal.
  • Thinly traded next to the category's largest buffer funds, which puts more weight on limit orders and avoiding the open and close.
  • PSMO Buffer and cap are engineered for the full one-year outcome period running October through September. Buy or sell mid-period and you may get neither in full.paceretfs.com
  • Upside stops at a cap reset each October. A runaway rally in the S&P 500 is the scenario this structure hands back in exchange for the 15% cushion.paceretfs.com
  • One of the quieter tickers in the buffer aisle, so spreads and order type matter more here than with the category's household names.

Full GDEC profile⁠

Full PSMO profile⁠

GDEC vs PSMO Holdings

As of
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.

GDEC vs PSMO Cost

Overpaying GDEC vs PSMO

$6,407

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

  • GDEC 0.85%

    $16,199

  • PSMO 0.49%

    $9,792

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • GDEC 0.85%
  • PSMO 0.49%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530GDEC $16,199PSMO $9,792

Year by year

YearGDECPSMOOverpaying
10$1,508$883$625
20$5,706$3,394$2,312
30$16,199$9,792$6,407

Expense ratio

  • 0.85%GDEC
  • 0.49%PSMO, cheaper
  • Middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds
  • Median 0.79%

PSMO 5th cheapest of 51 funds

GDEC 37th cheapest of 51 funds

GDEC vs PSMO Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Payout (12M)
GDEC None
PSMO None

Distribution history

GDECAll GDEC payments⁠

No distribution history available.

PSMOAll PSMO payments⁠

No distribution history available.

GDEC vs PSMO Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
GDEC 5.2%since Jan 2024PSMO 5.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
GDEC 1.22since Jan 2024PSMO 1.31
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
GDEC −10.6%since Dec 2023PSMO −9.8%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
GDEC 0.42PSMO 0.41

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