BALT vs SIXJ: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 SIXJ can fall 3.7% before its buffer engages and BALT 0.5%. Net assets: $3.1bn on Oct 9, 2026 for Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF - Quarterly, and $153m on Oct 8, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer10 ETF - Jan.
BALT costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.0 points; BALT is far larger, $3.1bn against $153m.
| BALT | SIXJ | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.74% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026 | $3.1bn | $153m |
| Total return, 1 year | +6.9% | +12.9% |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 2.0% | 4.1% |
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.
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.
SIXJ: reference +4.3% since period start, fund +3.4%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +8.2%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
SIXJ: reference +4.3% since period start, fund +3.4%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +8.2%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
A percentile among the 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 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 → How it is computed →
Where each one stands today
BALT resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 83 days from now; SIXJ runs to Dec 31, 2026, 83 days. BALT can still gain 1.9% before its cap, SIXJ 4.3%. A fall from here reaches BALT’s buffer after 0.5% and SIXJ’s after 3.7%. 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 | SIXJ | BALT | SIXJ |
| 3 months | +2.0% | +2.8% | −1.1 pts | −0.3 pts |
| 6 months | +4.1% | +9.3% | −10.5 pts | −5.3 pts |
| 1 year | +6.9% | +12.9% | −9.1 pts | −3.1 pts |
| 3 years | +25.7% | +52.3% | −53.5 pts | −26.9 pts |
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
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.
SIXJ in plain words
From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 4.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 3.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 4.1% 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
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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 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.
ETFIQ, BALT against SIXJ, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-sixj
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). BALT against SIXJ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-sixj
[BALT against SIXJ (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/balt-vs-sixj)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.