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DAUGFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - August

Stay safeGrow my money6y track recordRanked #116 of 357 in this goal

Seeks to provide returns that match the price return of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, with a cap of 11.98% and a buffer against losses between -5% and -30%.

By First Trust · Launched 2019

Annual Cost

0.85%

#4,507 of 5,854 · expensive

Fund Size

$366M

#1,839 of 5,854 · large

Dividend YieldGoal

0.00%

Track Record

6 years

#1,955 of 5,854 · established

Performance

Total-return NAV · USD
Growth of $10,000
$11,142+11.4%

Total-return NAV, USD. Net of fund fees, before tax.

What's inside

How Beacon categorizes this fund

Asset class

Alternative

Strategy

Structured outcome

Index tracked

S&P 500 Index

What it actually holds

By weight

Concentration

Top 10 holdings = 103.2% of fundconcentrated

CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 C6.42
92.1%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 C6.42
6.9%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 P611.27
1.7%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 C6.42
1.7%
Dreyfus Government Cash Management Funds
0.7%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 P611.27
0.2%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 C6.42
0.0%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 P611.27
0.0%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 P450.41
-0.0%
CBOE GLOBAL MARKETS, INC.SPY 8 C720.52
-0.0%

Asset allocation

Stocks
99.4%
Cash
0.6%

Risk profile

Last 12 months · Sharpe & Sortino need 3+ years
Volatility (1Y)
5.6%Low

Year-on-year price swings

Max drawdown
-15.3%Moderate

Worst peak-to-trough loss

Sharpe (3Y)
0.92Decent risk-adjusted returns
Sortino (3Y)
1.34Good downside protection

Listing

Exchange
Cboe BZX

Full fund details

Objective
Seeks to provide returns that match the price return of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, with a cap of 11.98% and a buffer against losses between -5% and -30%.
Strategy
Invests in FLEX Options referencing the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust to provide a deep buffer against losses between -5% and -30% and upside participation up to a cap of 11.98%. The Fund employs a target outcome strategy to achieve these results over the Target Outcome Period.
Inception date
November 6, 2019
Fund family
First Trust

Our take

Structural notes on how this fund behaves. Read our guide on the 6 warning signs.

Buffer
Warning

You can build this cheaper yourself

Defined-outcome funds cap your gains (often 8% to 20%) in exchange for cushioning losses by 9% to 30%, priced with options. The fee runs about 0.70% or more, against 0.03% to 0.10% for a plain index fund. For most investors, a simple stock-and-bond mix gives similar protection for far less.

Sources: Morningstar, 'Buffer Funds Are on the Rise, but They May Not Make Sense for Most Investors' (2025)

Educational analysis of structural product characteristics. Not investment advice. Always read the fund prospectus and consult a qualified advisor before investing. More

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Data updated on 2026-08-04