GAUG vs. APRW

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August (GAUG) and AllianzIM U.S. Large Cap Buffer20 Apr ETF (APRW).

GAUG and APRW are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GAUG is a passively managed fund by FT Vest that tracks the performance of the S&P 500. It was launched on Aug 17, 2023. APRW is an actively managed fund by Allianz. It was launched on May 28, 2020.

Performance

GAUG vs. APRW - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August (GAUG) and AllianzIM U.S. Large Cap Buffer20 Apr ETF (APRW). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GAUG vs. APRW - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
GAUG FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August	-1.41%	11.28%	11.78%	5.84%
APRW AllianzIM U.S. Large Cap Buffer20 Apr ETF	1.48%	6.18%	11.25%	5.00%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GAUG achieves a -1.41% return, which is significantly lower than APRW's 1.48% return.

GAUG

• 1D: 1.62%
• 1M: -2.13%
• YTD: -1.41%
• 6M: 0.25%
• 1Y: 11.40%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

APRW

• 1D: 0.16%
• 1M: 0.58%
• YTD: 1.48%
• 6M: 3.35%
• 1Y: 10.24%
• 3Y*: 9.39%
• 5Y*: 6.54%
• 10Y*: —

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

GAUG vs. APRW - Expense Ratio Comparison

GAUG has a 0.85% expense ratio, which is higher than APRW's 0.74% expense ratio.

GAUG

FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August

APRW

AllianzIM U.S. Large Cap Buffer20 Apr ETF

Return for Risk

GAUG vs. APRW — Risk / Return Rank

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

GAUG

GAUG Risk / Return Rank: 71
GAUG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 66
GAUG Sortino Ratio Rank: 70
GAUG Omega Ratio Rank: 75
GAUG Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
GAUG Martin Ratio Rank: 82

APRW

APRW Risk / Return Rank: 84
APRW Sharpe Ratio Rank: 78
APRW Sortino Ratio Rank: 82
APRW Omega Ratio Rank: 96
APRW Calmar Ratio Rank: 72
APRW Martin Ratio Rank: 92

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.

GAUG vs. APRW - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August (GAUG) and AllianzIM U.S. Large Cap Buffer20 Apr ETF (APRW). 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.

	GAUG	APRW	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.15	1.49	-0.33
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.76	2.20	-0.44
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.28	1.51	-0.23
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.64	1.93	-0.29
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.23	13.27	-4.04
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GAUG vs. APRW - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GAUG Sharpe Ratio is 1.15, which is comparable to the APRW Sharpe Ratio of 1.49. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GAUG and APRW, 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

	GAUG	APRW	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.15	1.49	-0.33
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.98	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.38	1.04	+0.33

Correlation

The correlation between GAUG and APRW is 0.81, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

GAUG vs. APRW - Dividend Comparison

Neither GAUG nor APRW has paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
GAUG FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
APRW AllianzIM U.S. Large Cap Buffer20 Apr ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	3.67%

Drawdowns

GAUG vs. APRW - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GAUG drawdown since its inception was -10.08%, roughly equal to the maximum APRW drawdown of -9.61%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GAUG and APRW.

Drawdown Indicators

	GAUG	APRW	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-10.08%	-9.61%	-0.47%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-7.14%	-5.62%	-1.52%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-9.61%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.45%	0.00%	-2.45%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.76%	-1.15%	+0.39%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.27%	0.82%	+0.45%

Volatility

GAUG vs. APRW - Volatility Comparison

FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - August (GAUG) has a higher volatility of 2.99% compared to AllianzIM U.S. Large Cap Buffer20 Apr ETF (APRW) at 0.71%. This indicates that GAUG's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than APRW based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GAUG	APRW	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.99%	0.71%	+2.28%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	4.66%	1.60%	+3.06%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	9.92%	6.93%	+2.99%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	7.69%	6.73%	+0.96%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	7.69%	6.47%	+1.22%