Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

AIOO vs DDFO: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 DDFO can fall 0.7% before its buffer engages and AIOO 0.3%, and AIOO resets 273 days sooner.

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Net assets: $67m on Nov 3, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer100 Protection ETF - Jan, and $176m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Oct.

At a glance
0.3%
AIOO can fall this far before its buffer
0.7%
DDFO can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
AIOO can still gain
9.9%
DDFO can still gain
AIOO No cap
No capAIOO: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% period startno cap, 29.83% participation+0.5% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +0.5%No capAIOO: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% startno cap+0.5% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +0.5%

AIOO: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.
DDFO Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capDDFO: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+10.2% to cap−15.0% floor0% period start+10.7% cap+0.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.5%Between buffer and capDDFO: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% start+10.7% cap+0.5% gain captured+10.2% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.5%

DDFO: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

DDFO: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.7%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

AIOO costs 0.15 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.9 points; DDFO is 2.6 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

AIOO vs DDFO: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureAIOODDFO
Return
Total return, 1 year+3.3%+8.2%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer0.5%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.64%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$67m$173m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published

Method

Risk and return

Oct 10, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 55 weekly returns · each against SPY
AIOO DDFO
Return
Total return edge DDFO +3.7% +8.9%
Annualized edge DDFO +3.5% +8.4%
Price return edge DDFO +3.7% +8.9%
Risk
Volatility edge AIOO 1.8% 3.6%
Max drawdown edge AIOO −0.6% −2.5%
Downside capture 14.8% 25.6%
Beta 0.13 0.28
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge DDFO −0.19 1.19
Sortino edge DDFO −0.28 2.06
Treynor −0.026 0.154
Calmar edge AIOO 6.19 3.40
Against the benchmark
Alpha −1.9% a year +1.0% a year
Alpha t-stat −2.14 0.72
Information ratio −1.16 −0.85
Tracking error 10.4% 8.7%
Reading

From Oct 2025 to Oct 2026, DDFO returned more: +8.9% to +3.7%. AIOO swung less: 1.8% to 3.6%. AIOO fell less at its worst: −0.6% to −2.5%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: AIOO vs DDFO: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureAIOODDFOSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+3.7%+8.9%DDFOPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+3.5%+8.4%DDFOTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+3.7%+8.9%DDFOPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility1.8%3.6%AIOOSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation1.2%2.1%AIOOLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−0.6%−2.5%AIOODeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture11.3%25.0%100.0%DDFOShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture14.8%25.6%100.0%AIOOShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.130.281.00AIOO lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.760.841.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe−0.191.19DDFOReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino−0.282.06DDFOReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor−0.0260.1540.117DDFOReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar6.193.40AIOOAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−1.9% a year+1.0% a year0.0%AIOO significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−2.140.72Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−3.6% to −0.1%−1.8% to +3.9%DDFO's includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−1.16−0.85DDFOReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error10.4%8.7%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 55 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: AIOO vs DDFO: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowAIOODDFOAIOODDFO
3 months+0.1%+1.5%+0.5 pts+1.9 pts
6 months+1.4%+3.5%−3.1 pts−1.0 pts
1 year+3.3%+8.2%−10.2 pts−5.4 pts
Since launchNot the same days: AIOO Jul 2025 · DDFO Oct 2025+5.9%+8.5%−18.3 pts−6.2 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Open this comparison in the app →

Side by side

AIOO AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer100 Protection ETF - Jan · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026 DDFO Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 10.7%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 15%
Outcome period Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Days left 57 330
Starting cap uncapped +10.7%
Can still gain uncapped 9.9%
Fall before buffer 0.3% 0.7%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +0.5% +0.5%
Fund return this period +0.3% +0.6%
State today Uncapped Open
Expense ratio 0.64% 0.79%
Net assets, AIOO as of Nov 3, 2026 and DDFO as of Nov 4, 2026 $67m $176m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

These are two different products. AIOO is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DDFO is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.

AIOO has no cap. It takes 30% of whatever the index does, where DDFO takes all of the rise up to 10.7% and nothing above it.

They do not reset together. AIOO has 57 days of its period left and DDFO has 330, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

AIOO resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; DDFO runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. A fall from here reaches AIOO’s buffer after 0.3% and DDFO’s after 0.7%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief:

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About each fund
AIOO

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 0.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.5% 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. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and new terms are set.

DDFO

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 9.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 330 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, AIOO or DDFO?
AIOO ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and DDFO on Sep 30, 2027. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AIOO or DDFO?
AIOO charges 0.64% a year and DDFO charges 0.79%, so AIOO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Sources and dates

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

ETFIQ calculates every number from each issuer’s published outcome-period terms. Buffer ETFs hold options on an index, not shares, so there is no holdings overlap to report.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, AIOO against DDFO, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/aioo-vs-ddfo

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.