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

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +20.0% and UOCT returned +10.7%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Are SPY and UOCT the same kind of fund?

No. SPY is an index ETF and UOCT 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.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

SPY vs UOCT

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

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

SPY and UOCT on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust	UOCT Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Oct
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%	+10.7%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.0 pts	−9.3 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%.

UOCT in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +11.0% for the period on Sep 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 0.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 14.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 17.8% 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. 26 days remained on Sep 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, SPY or UOCT?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +20.0% and UOCT returned +10.7%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Are SPY and UOCT the same kind of fund?: No. SPY is an index ETF and UOCT is a buffer ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Other comparisons

Where to next

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

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources