Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BALT vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, BALT returned +6.2% to SPY's +13.6%, and SPY charges 0.09% to BALT's 0.69%.
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Net assets: $3.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly, and $814.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.
Pair scorecard
SPY costs 0.60 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.4 points; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $3.2bn.
| Measure | BALT | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +6.2% | +13.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 1.2% | |
| Fund price fall to the buffer | 0.6% | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | S&P 500 Index |
| The outcome period | ||
| Room to the cap | 1.8% | |
| Buffer left, in index points | 20.0% of 20.0% | |
| Days left in the period | 64 | |
| Period ends | Dec 31, 2026 | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $3.2bn | $814.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 38.1% | |
Side by side
BALT and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BALT
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 1.8% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.2% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 64 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
SPY
SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.
Questions people ask
- Are BALT and SPY in the same category?
- BALT is a buffer ETF and SPY is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, BALT or SPY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BALT returned +6.2% and SPY +13.6%.
- Which is cheaper, BALT or SPY?
- SPY is cheaper, by 0.60 percentage points a year. That is about $60 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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ETFIQ, BALT against SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/balt-vs-spy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BALT against SPY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/balt-vs-spy
[BALT against SPY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/balt-vs-spy)
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