UNOV vs. FAUG

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - November (UNOV) and FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (FAUG).

UNOV and FAUG are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. UNOV is a passively managed fund by Innovator that tracks the performance of the Cboe S&P 500 30% (-5% to -35%) Buffer Protect November Series Index. It was launched on Nov 1, 2019. FAUG is a passively managed fund by First Trust that tracks the performance of the Cboe S&P 500 Buffer Protect Index August. It was launched on Nov 6, 2019. Both UNOV and FAUG are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

UNOV vs. FAUG - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - November (UNOV) and FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (FAUG). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

UNOV vs. FAUG - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
UNOV Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - November	-2.07%	9.92%	9.42%	14.18%	-6.23%	4.45%	8.31%	1.63%
FAUG FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August	-2.20%	13.77%	14.55%	17.24%	-10.52%	11.54%	12.43%	2.37%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, UNOV achieves a -2.07% return, which is significantly higher than FAUG's -2.20% return.

UNOV

• 1D: 1.34%
• 1M: -2.51%
• YTD: -2.07%
• 6M: -0.53%
• 1Y: 9.78%
• 3Y*: 8.77%
• 5Y*: 5.34%
• 10Y*: —

FAUG

• 1D: 1.87%
• 1M: -2.96%
• YTD: -2.20%
• 6M: -0.24%
• 1Y: 13.84%
• 3Y*: 12.39%
• 5Y*: 7.51%
• 10Y*: —

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

UNOV vs. FAUG - Expense Ratio Comparison

UNOV has a 0.79% expense ratio, which is lower than FAUG's 0.85% expense ratio.

FAUG

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

UNOV

Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - November

Return for Risk

UNOV vs. FAUG — Risk / Return Rank

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

UNOV

UNOV Risk / Return Rank: 70
UNOV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 65
UNOV Sortino Ratio Rank: 67
UNOV Omega Ratio Rank: 73
UNOV Calmar Ratio Rank: 67
UNOV Martin Ratio Rank: 76

FAUG

FAUG Risk / Return Rank: 69
FAUG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 64
FAUG Sortino Ratio Rank: 66
FAUG Omega Ratio Rank: 73
FAUG Calmar Ratio Rank: 62
FAUG Martin Ratio Rank: 79

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.

UNOV vs. FAUG - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - November (UNOV) and FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (FAUG). 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.

	UNOV	FAUG	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.16	1.14	+0.02
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.71	1.69	+0.02
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.27	1.28	0.00
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.73	1.61	+0.12
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.24	8.80	-0.55
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

UNOV vs. FAUG - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current UNOV Sharpe Ratio is 1.16, which is comparable to the FAUG Sharpe Ratio of 1.14. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of UNOV and FAUG, 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

	UNOV	FAUG	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.16	1.14	+0.02
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.79	0.70	+0.09
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.78	0.69	+0.09

Correlation

The correlation between UNOV and FAUG is 0.85, 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

UNOV vs. FAUG - Dividend Comparison

Neither UNOV nor FAUG has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Drawdowns

UNOV vs. FAUG - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum UNOV drawdown since its inception was -13.84%, smaller than the maximum FAUG drawdown of -22.33%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for UNOV and FAUG.

Drawdown Indicators

	UNOV	FAUG	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-13.84%	-22.33%	+8.49%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-5.78%	-8.88%	+3.10%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-9.10%	-15.91%	+6.81%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.25%	-3.48%	+0.23%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-1.69%	-2.90%	+1.21%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.21%	1.62%	-0.41%

Volatility

UNOV vs. FAUG - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - November (UNOV) is 2.74%, while FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (FAUG) has a volatility of 3.66%. This indicates that UNOV experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than FAUG based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	UNOV	FAUG	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.74%	3.66%	-0.92%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	4.55%	5.82%	-1.27%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	8.50%	12.24%	-3.74%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	6.77%	10.74%	-3.97%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	7.77%	12.88%	-5.11%