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

In the year to Sep 19, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +16.6% and XJAN returned +9.0%, so SPY returned more.

Which is cheaper, SPY or XJAN?

SPY charges 0.09% a year and XJAN charges 0.85%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are SPY and XJAN the same kind of fund?

No. SPY is an index ETF and XJAN 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 19, 2026.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

SPY vs XJAN: how they differ

Over the year SPY returned more, +16.6% to XJAN's +9.0%, and SPY charges 0.09% to XJAN's 0.85%.

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - January.

SPY and XJAN on the fields both publish, as of Sep 19, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust	XJAN FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - January
Where it sits	Core fund	Buffer ETF
Issuer	State Street	First Trust
What it is	Tracks the S&P 500	Defined outcome, 15% on SPY
Total return, 1 year	+16.6%	+9.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+16.6%	+16.6%
Gap to the S&P 500	0.0 pts	−7.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.09%	0.85%
Holdings	505	not filed
Net assets	$785.0bn	$40m

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 38.5%.

XJAN in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +9.9% for the period on Sep 19, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.7% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 6.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 9.2% 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. 119 days remained on Sep 19, 2026. On Jan 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, SPY or XJAN?: In the year to Sep 19, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +16.6% and XJAN returned +9.0%, so SPY returned more.
Which is cheaper, SPY or XJAN?: SPY charges 0.09% a year and XJAN charges 0.85%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are SPY and XJAN the same kind of fund?: No. SPY is an index ETF and XJAN 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 XJAN, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 19, 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, SPY against XJAN, data as of Sep 19, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xjan Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources