Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALT vs PQX: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 PQX can fall 0.8% before its buffer engages and BALT 0.6%.
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Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $3.3bn for Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly and $8.7m for PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 10 ETF.
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.PQX: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PQX: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
PQX costs 0.19 points a year less; BALT is far larger, $3.3bn against $8.7m.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALT | PQX |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +6.4% | not published |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 0.5% | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.50% |
| Net assets | $3.3bn | $8.7m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
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
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 →
Window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | BALT | PQX | BALT | PQX |
| 3 months | +1.3% | +0.9% | +1.7 pts | +1.3 pts |
| 6 months | +3.2% | – | −1.3 pts | – |
| 1 year | +6.4% | – | −7.1 pts | – |
| 3 years | +25.4% | – | −51.0 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALT Jul 2021 · PQX Jul 2026 | +36.5% | +2.5% | −41.7 pts | −0.3 pts |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. – means no data for this window. Open this comparison in the app →
Side by side
As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
Where each one stands today
BALT resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; PQX runs to Dec 31, 2026, 57 days. BALT can still gain 1.8% before its cap, PQX 2.7%. A fall from here reaches BALT’s buffer after 0.6% and PQX’s after 0.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
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.
PQX
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.8% 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.
Questions people ask
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 PQX, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-pqx
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALT against PQX. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-pqx
[BALT against PQX (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-pqx)
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