GDEC vs. DNOV

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December (GDEC) and FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November (DNOV).

GDEC and DNOV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GDEC is an actively managed fund by FT Vest. It was launched on Dec 14, 2023. DNOV is a passively managed fund by FT Vest that tracks the performance of the S&P 500. It was launched on Nov 15, 2019.

Performance

GDEC vs. DNOV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December (GDEC) and FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November (DNOV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GDEC vs. DNOV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
GDEC FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December	-2.12%	12.14%	11.45%	0.46%
DNOV FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November	-1.91%	13.93%	10.71%	0.47%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GDEC achieves a -2.12% return, which is significantly lower than DNOV's -1.91% return.

GDEC

• 1D: 1.68%
• 1M: -2.53%
• YTD: -2.12%
• 6M: 0.93%
• 1Y: 11.81%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

DNOV

• 1D: 1.46%
• 1M: -2.36%
• YTD: -1.91%
• 6M: 2.32%
• 1Y: 14.29%
• 3Y*: 11.81%
• 5Y*: 6.99%
• 10Y*: —

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

GDEC vs. DNOV - Expense Ratio Comparison

Both GDEC and DNOV have an expense ratio of 0.85%.

GDEC

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

DNOV

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November

Return for Risk

GDEC vs. DNOV — Risk / Return Rank

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

GDEC

GDEC Risk / Return Rank: 71
GDEC Sharpe Ratio Rank: 64
GDEC Sortino Ratio Rank: 67
GDEC Omega Ratio Rank: 76
GDEC Calmar Ratio Rank: 66
GDEC Martin Ratio Rank: 80

DNOV

DNOV Risk / Return Rank: 86
DNOV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 82
DNOV Sortino Ratio Rank: 86
DNOV Omega Ratio Rank: 89
DNOV Calmar Ratio Rank: 83
DNOV Martin Ratio Rank: 91

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.

GDEC vs. DNOV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December (GDEC) and FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November (DNOV). 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.

	GDEC	DNOV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.15	1.58	-0.43
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.73	2.33	-0.59
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.29	1.38	-0.09
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.71	2.38	-0.67
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.98	12.43	-3.45
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GDEC vs. DNOV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GDEC Sharpe Ratio is 1.15, which is comparable to the DNOV Sharpe Ratio of 1.58. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GDEC and DNOV, 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

	GDEC	DNOV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.15	1.58	-0.43
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.93	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.17	0.81	+0.37

Correlation

The correlation between GDEC and DNOV is 0.89, 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

GDEC vs. DNOV - Dividend Comparison

Neither GDEC nor DNOV has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Drawdowns

GDEC vs. DNOV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GDEC drawdown since its inception was -10.61%, smaller than the maximum DNOV drawdown of -15.03%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GDEC and DNOV.

Drawdown Indicators

	GDEC	DNOV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-10.61%	-15.03%	+4.42%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-7.19%	-6.13%	-1.06%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-9.98%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.19%	-2.78%	-0.41%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.80%	-2.06%	+1.26%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.37%	1.17%	+0.20%

Volatility

GDEC vs. DNOV - Volatility Comparison

FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December (GDEC) has a higher volatility of 3.14% compared to FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - November (DNOV) at 2.68%. This indicates that GDEC's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than DNOV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GDEC	DNOV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.14%	2.68%	+0.46%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	4.70%	4.45%	+0.25%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	10.29%	9.09%	+1.20%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	8.13%	7.59%	+0.54%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	8.13%	9.12%	-0.99%