Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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CPSY vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, CPSY returned +5.7% to VOO's +13.7%, and VOO charges 0.03% to CPSY's 0.69%.

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Net assets: $29m on Oct 28, 2026 for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - January, and $1.0tn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard S&P 500 ETF.

At a glance
+5.7%
CPSY total return, 1 year
+13.7%
VOO total return, 1 year
0.69%
CPSY expense ratio
0.03%
VOO expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VOO costs 0.66 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.0 points.

CPSY vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureCPSYVOO
Return
Total return, 1 year+5.7%+13.7%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer11.5%
Fund price fall to the buffer4.8%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYS&P 500 Index
The outcome period
Buffer left, in index points100.0% of 100.0%
Days left in the period64
Period endsDec 31, 2026
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.69%0.03%
Net assets, CPSY as of Oct 28, 2026 and VOO as of Sep 30, 2026$29m$1.0tn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
Top ten holdings, share of the fund39.1%

Method

Risk and return

Jan 10, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 93 weekly returns
CPSY VOO
Return
Total return edge VOO +11.5% +33.6%
Annualized edge VOO +6.3% +17.6%
Price return edge VOO +11.5% +30.8%
Risk
Volatility edge CPSY 2.6% 15.0%
Max drawdown edge CPSY −2.8% −16.7%
Downside capture 14.6% 99.9%
Beta 0.16 1.00
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge VOO (slight) 0.82 0.89
Sortino edge VOO (slight) 1.30 1.35
Treynor 0.132 0.134
Calmar edge CPSY 2.24 1.05
Against the benchmark
Alpha 0.0% a year 0.0% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.03 0.51
Information ratio −0.88 0.02
Tracking error 12.7% 0.4%

Each against its own benchmark: CPSY against SPY, Jan 10, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026; VOO against IVV, Sep 17, 2010 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

VOO returned more: +33.6% to +11.5%. CPSY swung less: 2.6% to 15.0%. CPSY fell less at its worst: −2.8% to −16.7%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: CPSY vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureCPSYVOOEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+11.5%+33.6%VOOPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+6.3%+17.6%VOOTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+11.5%+30.8%VOOPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility2.6%15.0%CPSYSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation1.6%9.9%CPSYLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−2.8%−16.7%CPSYDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture13.5%99.8%Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture14.6%99.9%Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.161.00Not an edgeHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.891.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.820.89VOO (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.301.35VOO (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1320.134Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar2.241.05CPSYAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYIVVThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha0.0% a year0.0% a yearNot significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.030.51Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−1.3% to +1.3%−0.1% to +0.2%Includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.880.02Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error12.7%0.4%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 93 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

CPSY Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - January VOO Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Where it sits Buffer ETF Stock ETF
What it is Defined outcome, 100% on SPY Tracks the S&P 500
Total return, 1 year +5.7% +13.7%
Its benchmark over the same days +12.4% (SPY) +13.7% (IVV)
Gap to its benchmark −6.7 pts vs SPY 0.0 pts vs IVV
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.03%
Holdings not read by ETFIQ 507
Net assets, CPSY as of Oct 28, 2026 and VOO as of Sep 30, 2026 $29m $1.0tn

CPSY and VOO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-FD587B9148

CPSY and VOO do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

  1. What each follows. CPSY follows SPY and VOO follows S&P 500 Index.
  2. One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 CPSY returned +5.7% and VOO +13.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.0 points.
  3. Cost. CPSY charges 0.69% of assets a year and VOO 0.03%, a gap of 0.66 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
CPSY

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.4% for the period on Oct 28, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect.

The fund's price can fall 4.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.5% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 100.0% of the 100.0% 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.

VOO

VOO tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 507 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%.

Questions people ask

Are CPSY and VOO in the same category?
CPSY is a buffer ETF and VOO 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, CPSY or VOO?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CPSY returned +5.7% and VOO +13.7%.
Which is cheaper, CPSY or VOO?
VOO is cheaper, by 0.66 percentage points a year. That is about $66 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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ETFIQ, CPSY against VOO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cpsy-vs-voo

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