AIOO vs DDTJ: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 DDTJ can fall 9.3% before its buffer engages and AIOO 0.5%. Net assets: $63m on Oct 8, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer100 Protection ETF - Jan, and $18m on Oct 9, 2026 for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 10 Buffer ETF - Jan.

AIOO costs 0.15 points a year less; AIOO is 3.5 times larger.

AIOODDTJ
Expense ratio0.64%0.79%
Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026$63m$18m
Total return, 1 year+3.9%not published
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer2.0%12.4%
0.5%
AIOO can fall this far before its buffer
9.3%
DDTJ can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
AIOO can still gain
2.4%
DDTJ can still gain
AIOONo cap
No capAIOO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% period startno cap, 29.83% participation+2.1% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +2.1%No capAIOO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% startno cap+2.1% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +2.1%

AIOO: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; no cap; No cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

DDTJAt its cap
At its capDDTJ: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +9.5%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +12.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.10 pts of buffer+12.8% gain captured−10.0% floor0% period start+12.8% capTODAY · SPY +14.2%At its capDDTJ: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +9.5%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +12.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.+12.8%−10.0% floor0% start+12.8% cap10 pts of bufferTODAY · SPY +14.2%

DDTJ: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +9.5%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +12.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

DDTJ: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +9.5%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +12.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

These are two different products. AIOO is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DDTJ 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 DDTJ takes all of the rise up to 12.8% and nothing above it.

DDTJ is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

AIOO resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 83 days from now; DDTJ runs to Dec 31, 2026, 83 days. A fall from here reaches AIOO’s buffer after 0.5% and DDTJ’s after 9.3%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowAIOODDTJAIOODDTJ
3 months+0.8%+2.8%−2.3 pts−0.4 pts
6 months+3.0%+8.8%−11.6 pts−5.7 pts
1 year+3.9%not published−12.2 ptsnot published

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

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
DDTJ
Innovator Equity Dual Directional 10 Buffer ETF - Jan · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.8%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 10%
Outcome period Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 83 83
Starting cap uncapped +12.8%
Can still gain uncapped 2.4%
Fall before buffer 0.5% 9.3%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 10.0% of 10.0%
Index return this period +2.1% +14.2%
Fund return this period +0.5% +9.5%
State today Uncapped At cap
Expense ratio 0.64% 0.79%
Net assets, AIOO as of Oct 8, 2026 and DDTJ as of Oct 9, 2026 $63m $18m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

AIOO in plain words

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 0.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.0% 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. 83 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and new terms are set.

DDTJ in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.8% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.4% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 9.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.4% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, AIOO or DDTJ?
AIOO ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and DDTJ on Dec 31, 2026. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, AIOO or DDTJ?
AIOO charges 0.64% a year and DDTJ charges 0.79%, so AIOO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

ETFIQ calculates every figure 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 figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, AIOO against DDTJ, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/aioo-vs-ddtj

Open data

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