FSEP vs. CAOS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September (FSEP) and Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS).

FSEP and CAOS are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FSEP is a passively managed fund by FT Vest that tracks the performance of the Cboe S&P 500 Buffer Protect Index September. It was launched on Sep 17, 2020. CAOS is an actively managed fund by Alpha Architect. It was launched on Aug 14, 2013.

Performance

FSEP vs. CAOS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September (FSEP) and Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FSEP vs. CAOS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
FSEP FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September	-2.39%	12.83%	13.56%	15.19%
CAOS Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF	1.10%	2.55%	5.33%	7.97%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FSEP achieves a -2.39% return, which is significantly lower than CAOS's 1.10% return.

FSEP

• 1D: 2.14%
• 1M: -2.97%
• YTD: -2.39%
• 6M: -0.42%
• 1Y: 12.97%
• 3Y*: 12.49%
• 5Y*: 8.58%
• 10Y*: —

CAOS

• 1D: 0.07%
• 1M: 0.43%
• YTD: 1.10%
• 6M: 1.37%
• 1Y: 3.19%
• 3Y*: 5.46%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

FSEP vs. CAOS - Expense Ratio Comparison

FSEP has a 0.85% expense ratio, which is higher than CAOS's 0.63% expense ratio.

FSEP

FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September

CAOS

Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF

Return for Risk

FSEP vs. CAOS — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

FSEP

FSEP Risk / Return Rank: 68
FSEP Sharpe Ratio Rank: 63
FSEP Sortino Ratio Rank: 64
FSEP Omega Ratio Rank: 70
FSEP Calmar Ratio Rank: 66
FSEP Martin Ratio Rank: 79

CAOS

CAOS Risk / Return Rank: 41
CAOS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 39
CAOS Sortino Ratio Rank: 36
CAOS Omega Ratio Rank: 72
CAOS Calmar Ratio Rank: 35
CAOS Martin Ratio Rank: 23

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

FSEP vs. CAOS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September (FSEP) and Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	FSEP	CAOS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.08	0.69	+0.39
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.60	0.97	+0.63
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.25	1.26	0.00
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.64	0.83	+0.80
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.32	1.38	+6.94
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FSEP vs. CAOS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FSEP Sharpe Ratio is 1.08, which is higher than the CAOS Sharpe Ratio of 0.69. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FSEP and CAOS, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	FSEP	CAOS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.08	0.69	+0.39
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.80	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.96	1.27	-0.31

Correlation

The correlation between FSEP and CAOS is 0.15, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

FSEP vs. CAOS - Dividend Comparison

Neither FSEP nor CAOS has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Drawdowns

FSEP vs. CAOS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FSEP drawdown since its inception was -13.79%, which is greater than CAOS's maximum drawdown of -3.60%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FSEP and CAOS.

Drawdown Indicators

	FSEP	CAOS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-13.79%	-3.60%	-10.19%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-8.16%	-3.60%	-4.56%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-13.79%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.60%	-0.80%	-2.80%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.19%	-0.90%	-1.29%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.60%	2.18%	-0.58%

Volatility

FSEP vs. CAOS - Volatility Comparison

FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September (FSEP) has a higher volatility of 3.75% compared to Alpha Architect Tail Risk ETF (CAOS) at 0.74%. This indicates that FSEP's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than CAOS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FSEP	CAOS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.75%	0.74%	+3.01%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	6.13%	1.30%	+4.83%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	12.12%	4.68%	+7.44%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	10.75%	4.37%	+6.38%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	10.64%	4.37%	+6.27%