QCJL vs. KNG

Last updated Apr 15, 2026

QCJL (FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Conservative Buffer ETF - July) and KNG (FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF) are both exchange-traded funds — QCJL is a Nasdaq-100 fund actively managed by First Trust, while KNG is a Dividend fund tracking the Cboe S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income Index Monthly Series. QCJL is actively managed, while KNG is passively managed. Over the past year, QCJL returned 20.65% vs 11.15% for KNG. At 0.36, their price movements are largely independent. QCJL charges 0.90%/yr vs 0.75%/yr for KNG.

Performance

QCJL vs. KNG - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Conservative Buffer ETF - July (QCJL) and FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF (KNG). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, QCJL achieves a 2.20% return, which is significantly lower than KNG's 2.78% return.

QCJL

• 1D: 0.54%
• 1M: 2.80%
• YTD: 2.20%
• 6M: 4.41%
• 1Y: 20.65%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

KNG

• 1D: 0.04%
• 1M: 0.65%
• YTD: 2.78%
• 6M: 5.20%
• 1Y: 11.15%
• 3Y*: 7.12%
• 5Y*: 5.52%
• 10Y*: —

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

QCJL vs. KNG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
QCJL FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Conservative Buffer ETF - July	2.20%	13.10%	4.12%
KNG FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF	2.78%	6.63%	0.76%

Correlation

The correlation between QCJL and KNG is 0.36, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.36
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Jul 23, 2024	0.36

Return for Risk

QCJL vs. KNG — Risk / Return Rank

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

QCJL

QCJL Risk / Return Rank: 89
QCJL Sharpe Ratio Rank: 85
QCJL Sortino Ratio Rank: 90
QCJL Omega Ratio Rank: 89
QCJL Calmar Ratio Rank: 87
QCJL Martin Ratio Rank: 93

KNG

KNG Risk / Return Rank: 23
KNG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 21
KNG Sortino Ratio Rank: 21
KNG Omega Ratio Rank: 19
KNG Calmar Ratio Rank: 26
KNG Martin Ratio Rank: 27

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.

QCJL vs. KNG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Conservative Buffer ETF - July (QCJL) and FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF (KNG). 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.

	QCJL	KNG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	2.96	1.02	+1.94
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	4.54	1.58	+2.96
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.61	1.18	+0.43
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	5.55	1.67	+3.88
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	27.03	5.53	+21.49
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

QCJL vs. KNG - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current QCJL Sharpe Ratio is 2.96, which is higher than the KNG Sharpe Ratio of 1.02. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of QCJL and KNG, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	QCJL	KNG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	2.96	1.02	+1.94
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.41	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.16	0.50	+0.66

Drawdowns

QCJL vs. KNG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum QCJL drawdown since its inception was -11.18%, smaller than the maximum KNG drawdown of -35.12%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for QCJL and KNG.

Drawdown Indicators

	QCJL	KNG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-11.18%	-35.12%	+23.94%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-4.00%	-8.61%	+4.61%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-18.20%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	0.00%	-5.36%	+5.36%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.15%	-4.10%	+2.95%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.82%	2.59%	-1.77%

Volatility

QCJL vs. KNG - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Conservative Buffer ETF - July (QCJL) is 3.02%, while FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF (KNG) has a volatility of 3.70%. This indicates that QCJL experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than KNG based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	QCJL	KNG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.02%	3.70%	-0.68%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	4.82%	7.66%	-2.84%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	7.04%	11.08%	-4.04%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	9.83%	13.65%	-3.82%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	9.83%	17.29%	-7.46%

QCJL vs. KNG - Expense Ratio Comparison

QCJL has a 0.90% expense ratio, which is higher than KNG's 0.75% expense ratio.

Dividends

QCJL vs. KNG - Dividend Comparison

QCJL has not paid dividends to shareholders, while KNG's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 8.54%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
QCJL FT Vest Nasdaq-100 Conservative Buffer ETF - July	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
KNG FT Cboe Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF	8.54%	8.61%	9.08%	5.91%	4.00%	3.45%	3.62%	4.09%	3.46%