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Data as of Sep 21, 2026.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

DDFM vs SPY: how they differ

DDFM and SPY are measured over different days, and SPY charges 0.09% to DDFM's 0.79%.

Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Mar and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.

DDFM and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Sep 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DDFM
Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Mar
SPY
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
Where it sitsBuffer ETFCore fund
IssuerInnovatorState Street
What it isDefined outcome, 15% on SPYTracks the S&P 500
Total return, 1 yearnot published+16.6%
S&P 500 over the same daysnot published+16.6%
Gap to the S&P 500not available0.0 pts
Expense ratio0.79%0.09%
Holdingsnot filed505
Net assets$45m$785.0bn

DDFM in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +9.8% for the period on Sep 21, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.3% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 5.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.4% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 160 days remained on Sep 21, 2026. On Feb 28, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

SPY in plain words

SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 it returned +16.6% with distributions reinvested, against +16.6% for the S&P 500 and +21.8% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 505 positions, with the top ten at 38.6%.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, DDFM or SPY?
DDFM charges 0.79% a year and SPY charges 0.09%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are DDFM and SPY the same kind of fund?
No. DDFM is a buffer ETF and SPY is an index 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.

DDFM against SPY, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 21, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, DDFM against SPY, data as of Sep 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ddfm-vs-spy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources