Which returned more over the last year, SPY or UJUL?

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +20.0% and UJUL returned +10.0%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Are SPY and UJUL the same kind of fund?

No. SPY is an index ETF and UJUL is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

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SPY vs UJUL

Name: ETFIQ comparison of SPY and UJUL
Creator: ETFIQ
License: https://etfiq.com/standards/

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Jul.

SPY and UJUL on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust	UJUL Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Jul
Where it sits	Core fund	Buffer desk
Issuer	State Street	Innovator
What it is	S&P 500, book from IVV	Defined outcome, on SPY
Total return, 1 year	+20.0%	+10.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.0 pts	−10.0 pts
Expense ratio	not published	0.79%
Holdings	504	n/a

SPY in plain words

SPY is a index equity fund tracking S&P 500, book from IVV. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +20.0% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 36.4%.

UJUL in plain words

From its price on Sep 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 7.9% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 30.0% of the 30.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 299 days remained on Sep 4, 2026. On Jun 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, SPY or UJUL?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +20.0% and UJUL returned +10.0%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Are SPY and UJUL the same kind of fund?: No. SPY is an index ETF and UJUL is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

SPY against UJUL, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 4, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, SPY against UJUL, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/SPY-UJUL.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources