Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

BALT vs OCTT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 OCTT can fall 1.4% before its buffer engages and BALT 0.6%, and BALT resets 273 days sooner.

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Net assets: $3.3bn on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly, and $121m on Nov 3, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer10 ETF - Oct.

At a glance
0.6%
BALT can fall this far before its buffer
1.4%
OCTT can fall this far before its buffer
1.8%
BALT can still gain
16.5%
OCTT can still gain
BALT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capBALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.4%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.20 pts of buffer−20.0% floor0% period start+2.4% cap+0.5% gain captured+1.9% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.5%Between buffer and capBALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.4%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.20 pts of buffer−20.0% floor0% start+2.4% cap+0.5% gain captured+1.9% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.5%

BALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.4%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

BALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.4%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
OCTT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capOCTT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +18.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.10 pts of buffer+17.5% more to the cap−10.0% floor0% period start+18.0% cap+0.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.5%Between buffer and capOCTT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +18.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.10 pts+17.5% to cap−10.0% floor0% start+18.0% cap+0.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.5%

OCTT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +18.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

OCTT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +18.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALT costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.3 points; BALT is far larger, $3.2bn against $121m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALT vs OCTT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureBALTOCTT
Return
Total return, 1 year+6.4%+13.7%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer0.5%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.69%0.74%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$3.2bn$121m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · BALT scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score99.1BALT38.7OCTT

How much of a bear-market fall the buffer would absorb from today's level, ranked against 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 100 is best. How it is computed

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

Today's position against one 20% fall; it ignores smaller falls, and stock buffers are never ranked against bond or commodity ones. All buffer ETFs ranked by it →

Method

Risk and return

Jul 9, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026 · 277 weekly returns · each against SPY
BALT OCTT
Return
Total return edge OCTT +36.0% +68.8%
Annualized edge OCTT +5.9% +10.3%
Price return edge OCTT +36.0% +68.8%
Risk
Volatility edge BALT 2.9% 9.7%
Max drawdown edge BALT −4.1% −12.8%
Downside capture 14.8% 62.3%
Beta 0.16 0.58
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge BALT (slight) 0.72 0.68
Sortino edge Tie 1.04 1.04
Treynor 0.132 0.113
Calmar edge BALT 1.45 0.81
Against the benchmark
Alpha +0.6% a year +1.2% a year
Alpha t-stat 1.00 1.02
Information ratio −0.53 −0.37
Tracking error 13.5% 7.2%
Reading

From Jul 2021 to Oct 2026, OCTT returned more: +68.8% to +36.0%. BALT swung less: 2.9% to 9.7%. BALT fell less at its worst: −4.1% to −12.8%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: BALT vs OCTT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureBALTOCTTSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+36.0%+68.8%OCTTPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+5.9%+10.3%OCTTTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+36.0%+68.8%OCTTPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility2.9%9.7%BALTSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation2.0%6.4%BALTLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−4.1%−12.8%BALTDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture13.2%48.5%100.0%OCTTShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture14.8%62.3%100.0%BALTShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.160.581.00BALT lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.750.921.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.720.68BALT (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.041.04TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1320.1130.092BALTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar1.450.81BALTAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha+0.6% a year+1.2% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat1.001.02Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−0.6% to +1.9%−1.1% to +3.6%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.53−0.37OCTTReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error13.5%7.2%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, 277 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: BALT vs OCTT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowBALTOCTTBALTOCTT
3 months+1.3%+2.4%+1.7 pts+2.8 pts
6 months+3.2%+6.4%−1.3 pts+1.9 pts
1 year+6.4%+13.7%−7.1 pts+0.2 pts
3 years+25.4%+51.9%−51.0 pts−24.5 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALT Jul 2021 · OCTT Oct 2020+36.5%+95.0%−41.7 pts−32.5 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

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 OCTT AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer10 ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 18.0%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 20% 10%
Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Days left 57 330
Starting cap +2.4% +18.0%
Can still gain 1.8% 16.5%
Fall before buffer 0.6% 1.4%
Protection left, index points 20.0% of 20.0% 10.0% of 10.0%
Index return this period +0.5% +0.5%
Fund return this period +0.6% +0.7%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.74%
Net assets, BALT as of Nov 4, 2026 and OCTT as of Nov 3, 2026 $3.3bn $121m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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

Where each one stands today

BALT resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; OCTT runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. BALT can still gain 1.8% before its cap, OCTT 16.5%. A fall from here reaches BALT’s buffer after 0.6% and OCTT’s after 1.4%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief:

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About each fund
BALT

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 1.8% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.6% 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: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

OCTT

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 16.5% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% 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 has more room to gain, BALT or OCTT?
From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, BALT can gain about 1.8% before its cap and OCTT about 16.5%, so OCTT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BALT or OCTT?
BALT ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and OCTT on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BALT or OCTT?
BALT charges 0.69% a year and OCTT charges 0.74%, so BALT 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

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

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, BALT against OCTT, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-octt

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