Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

BAPR vs BJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Oct 28, 2026 BAPR can fall 11.4% before its buffer engages and BJAN 10.7%, and BJAN resets 90 days sooner.

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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $417m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Apr and $349m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Jan.

At a glance
11.4%
BAPR can fall this far before its buffer
10.7%
BJAN can fall this far before its buffer
5.0%
BAPR can still gain
4.1%
BJAN can still gain
BAPR At its cap
At its capBAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.9 pts of buffer+18.5% gain captured−9.0% floor0% period start+18.5% capTODAY · SPY +18.7%At its capBAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.9 pts+18.5% gain captured−9.0% floor0% start+18.5% capTODAY · SPY +18.7%

BAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

BAPR: reference +18.7% since period start, fund +12.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +18.5%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
BJAN Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capBJAN: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +11.2%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.9 pts of buffer+13.2% gain captured−9.0% floor0% period start+16.5% cap+3.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +13.2%Between buffer and capBJAN: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +11.2%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.9 pts+13.2% gained−9.0% floor0% start+16.5% cap+3.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +13.2%

BJAN: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +11.2%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 2.5 points; BAPR is 1.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BAPR vs BJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureBAPRBJAN
Return
Total return, 1 year+16.2%+13.7%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer15.7%11.6%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.79%0.79%
Net assets$417m$349m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · BJAN scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score15.6BAPR20.4BJAN

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

0.2, the lowest in this set 99.8, the highest

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 →

Method

Risk and return

Apr 12, 2019 to Oct 23, 2026 · 393 weekly returns · each against SPY
BAPR BJAN
Return
Total return edge BJAN (slight) +113.7% +123.8%
Annualized edge BJAN (slight) +10.6% +11.2%
Price return edge Tie +113.7% +113.8%
Risk
Volatility edge BAPR (slight) 12.2% 13.0%
Max drawdown edge BAPR (slight) −23.8% −25.2%
Downside capture 67.7% 74.3%
Beta 0.64 0.70
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge BJAN (slight) 0.65 0.67
Sortino edge Tie 0.94 0.94
Treynor 0.124 0.124
Calmar edge Tie 0.44 0.45
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.4% a year −0.4% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.32 −0.41
Information ratio −0.68 −0.70
Tracking error 7.4% 6.2%
Reading

BJAN returned slightly more: +123.8% to +113.7%. BAPR swung slightly less: 12.2% to 13.0%. BAPR fell slightly less at its worst: −23.8% to −25.2%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: BAPR vs BJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureBAPRBJANSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+113.7%+123.8%BJAN (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+10.6%+11.2%BJAN (slight)Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return+113.7%+113.8%TiePrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility12.2%13.0%BAPR (slight)Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation8.5%9.2%BAPR (slight)Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−23.8%−25.2%BAPR (slight)Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture49.0%56.3%100.0%BJANShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture67.7%74.3%100.0%BAPR (slight)Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.640.701.00BAPR lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.910.951.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.650.67BJAN (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.940.94TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1240.1240.130TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.440.45TieAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.4% a year−0.4% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.32−0.41Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−3.0% to +2.2%−2.5% to +1.6%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.68−0.70BAPR (slight)Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error7.4%6.2%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, 393 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: BAPR vs BJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowBAPRBJANBAPRBJAN
3 months+3.9%+4.9%−1.9 pts−1.0 pts
6 months+6.3%+7.4%−2.3 pts−1.1 pts
1 year+16.2%+13.7%+3.8 pts+1.3 pts
3 years+62.3%+72.8%−25.8 pts−15.3 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BAPR Apr 2019 · BJAN Jan 2019+117.8%+153.7%−52.4 pts−55.0 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

BAPR Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Apr · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 18.5%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027 BJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Jan · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 16.5%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 9% 9%
Outcome period Mar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 154 64
Starting cap +18.5% +16.5%
Can still gain 5.0% 4.1%
Fall before buffer 11.4% 10.7%
Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 9.0% of 9.0%
Index return this period +18.7% +13.2%
Fund return this period +12.4% +11.2%
State today At cap Open
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%
Net assets $417m $349m

As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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

They do not reset together. BJAN has 64 days of its period left and BAPR has 154, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

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

Where each one stands today

BJAN resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 64 days from now; BAPR runs to Mar 31, 2027, 154 days. BAPR can still gain 5.0% before its cap, BJAN 4.1%. A fall from here reaches BAPR’s buffer after 11.4% and BJAN’s after 10.7%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-6FDEFDC09A

BAPR and BJAN are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Protection and cap. BAPR: Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 18.5%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027. BJAN: Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 16.5%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026. The starting caps are 2.0 points apart.
  2. Outcome period. BAPR runs Mar 31, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 with 154 days left; BJAN runs Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026 with 64 days left.
  3. One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 BAPR returned +16.2% and BJAN +13.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.5 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
BAPR

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +18.5% for the period on Oct 28, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 5.0% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 11.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 9.0% of the 9.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 154 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

BJAN

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 4.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 10.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.6% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. 64 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BAPR or BJAN?
From their prices on Oct 28, 2026, BAPR can gain about 5.0% before its cap and BJAN about 4.1%, so BAPR has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BAPR or BJAN?
BAPR ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and BJAN on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BAPR or BJAN?
BAPR and BJAN both charge 0.79% a year, so neither 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.

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ETFIQ, BAPR against BJAN, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bapr-vs-bjan

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