Which has more room to gain, BALT or DDTJ?

From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BALT can gain about 1.9% before its cap and DDTJ about 2.4%, so DDTJ has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BALT or DDTJ?

BALT ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and DDTJ on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, BALT or DDTJ?

BALT charges 0.69% a year and DDTJ charges 0.79%, so BALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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BALT vs DDTJ: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 DDTJ can fall 9.3% before its buffer engages and BALT 0.5%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $3.1bn for Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly and $18m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 10 Buffer ETF - Jan.

BALT costs 0.10 points a year less; BALT is far larger, $3.1bn against $18m.

	BALT	DDTJ
Expense ratio	0.69%	0.79%
Net assets	$3.1bn	$18m
Total return, 1 year	+6.9%	not published
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	2.0%	12.4%

0.5%

BALT can fall this far before its buffer

9.3%

DDTJ can fall this far before its buffer

1.9%

BALT can still gain

2.4%

DDTJ can still gain

BALTBetween buffer and cap

BALT: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.4%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

DDTJAt its cap

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. DDTJ is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. BALT is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.

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

Both are Innovator funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.

Where each one stands today

BALT resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 83 days from now; DDTJ runs to Dec 31, 2026, 83 days. BALT can still gain 1.9% before its cap, DDTJ 2.4%. A fall from here reaches BALT’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 return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	BALT	DDTJ	BALT	DDTJ
3 months	+2.0%	+2.8%	−1.1 pts	−0.4 pts
6 months	+4.1%	+8.8%	−10.5 pts	−5.7 pts
1 year	+6.9%	not published	−9.1 pts	not published
3 years	+25.7%	not published	−53.5 pts	not 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

BALT

Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly · Absorbs the first 20% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 2.4%, 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

Issuer Innovator Innovator

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 20% 10%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026

Days left 83 83

Starting cap +2.4% +12.8%

Can still gain 1.9% 2.4%

Fall before buffer 0.5% 9.3%

Protection left, index points 20.0% of 20.0% 10.0% of 10.0%

Index return this period +2.1% +14.2%

Fund return this period +0.5% +9.5%

State today Open At cap

Expense ratio 0.69% 0.79%

Net assets $3.1bn $18m

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

BALT in plain words

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 1.9% more before it reaches its cap. 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: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 83 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is 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.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BALT or DDTJ?: From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BALT can gain about 1.9% before its cap and DDTJ about 2.4%, so DDTJ has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BALT or DDTJ?: BALT ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and DDTJ on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BALT or DDTJ?: BALT charges 0.69% a year and DDTJ charges 0.79%, so BALT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BALT vs TOCT BALT vs QBSV BALT vs CPSY BALT vs TJAN DDTJ vs ZALT DDTJ vs EALT DDTJ vs PQX DDTJ vs PQXV

SPY →All buffer ETFs ranked by the Downside Cover Score →How the scores are computed →BALT on its own →DDTJ on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

Innovator page for BALT ↗DDTJ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for DDTJ ↗

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

Open data

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