LQTI vs. BUFD

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF (LQTI) and FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF (BUFD).

LQTI and BUFD are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. LQTI is an actively managed fund by FT Vest. It was launched on Feb 11, 2025. BUFD is an actively managed fund by FT Vest. It was launched on Jan 20, 2021.

Performance

LQTI vs. BUFD - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF (LQTI) and FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF (BUFD). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

LQTI vs. BUFD - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
LQTI FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF	-0.44%	6.69%
BUFD FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF	-0.60%	8.32%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, LQTI achieves a -0.44% return, which is significantly higher than BUFD's -0.60% return.

LQTI

• 1D: 0.07%
• 1M: -1.73%
• YTD: -0.44%
• 6M: -0.03%
• 1Y: 4.56%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

BUFD

• 1D: 0.25%
• 1M: -1.40%
• YTD: -0.60%
• 6M: 1.46%
• 1Y: 12.41%
• 3Y*: 11.17%
• 5Y*: 6.59%
• 10Y*: —

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

LQTI vs. BUFD - Expense Ratio Comparison

LQTI has a 0.65% expense ratio, which is lower than BUFD's 0.95% expense ratio.

BUFD

FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF

LQTI

FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF

Return for Risk

LQTI vs. BUFD — Risk / Return Rank

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

LQTI

LQTI Risk / Return Rank: 36
LQTI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 36
LQTI Sortino Ratio Rank: 32
LQTI Omega Ratio Rank: 30
LQTI Calmar Ratio Rank: 45
LQTI Martin Ratio Rank: 37

BUFD

BUFD Risk / Return Rank: 78
BUFD Sharpe Ratio Rank: 74
BUFD Sortino Ratio Rank: 77
BUFD Omega Ratio Rank: 83
BUFD Calmar Ratio Rank: 70
BUFD Martin Ratio Rank: 84

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.

LQTI vs. BUFD - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF (LQTI) and FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF (BUFD). 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.

	LQTI	BUFD	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.74	1.38	-0.64
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.02	2.04	-1.02
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.14	1.34	-0.20
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.37	1.90	-0.53
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	4.15	10.38	-6.23
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

LQTI vs. BUFD - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current LQTI Sharpe Ratio is 0.74, which is lower than the BUFD Sharpe Ratio of 1.38. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of LQTI and BUFD, 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

	LQTI	BUFD	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.74	1.38	-0.64
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.86	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.90	0.87	+0.03

Correlation

The correlation between LQTI and BUFD is 0.28, 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

LQTI vs. BUFD - Dividend Comparison

LQTI's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 9.07%, while BUFD has not paid dividends to shareholders.

	TTM	2025
LQTI FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF	9.07%	7.01%
BUFD FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

LQTI vs. BUFD - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum LQTI drawdown since its inception was -3.41%, smaller than the maximum BUFD drawdown of -10.75%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for LQTI and BUFD.

Drawdown Indicators

	LQTI	BUFD	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-3.41%	-10.75%	+7.34%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-3.41%	-6.57%	+3.16%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-10.75%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.03%	-1.72%	-0.31%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.78%	-2.03%	+1.25%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.12%	1.20%	-0.08%

Volatility

LQTI vs. BUFD - Volatility Comparison

FT Vest Investment Grade & Target Income ETF (LQTI) and FT Vest Laddered Deep Buffer ETF (BUFD) have volatilities of 2.66% and 2.68%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	LQTI	BUFD	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.66%	2.68%	-0.02%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	3.87%	4.10%	-0.23%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	6.23%	9.03%	-2.80%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	6.11%	7.71%	-1.60%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	6.11%	7.63%	-1.52%