BJAN vs FOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 9, 2026 FOCT can fall 13.1% before its buffer engages and BJAN 10.9%, and FOCT resets 76 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $351m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Jan and $1.2bn for FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October.

BJAN costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.9 points; FOCT is 3.5 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BJAN vs FOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
BJANFOCT
Expense ratio0.79%0.85%
Net assets$351m$1.2bn
Total return, 1 year+15.3%+14.4%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer12.4%14.7%
10.9%
BJAN can fall this far before its buffer
13.1%
FOCT can fall this far before its buffer
3.9%
BJAN can still gain
0.1%
FOCT can still gain
BJANBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capBJAN: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +11.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.9 pts of buffer+14.2% gain captured−9.0% floor0% period start+16.5% cap+2.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +14.2%Between buffer and capBJAN: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +11.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.9 pts+14.2% gained−9.0% floor0% start+16.5% cap+2.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +14.2%

BJAN: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +11.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

BJAN: reference +14.2% since period start, fund +11.4%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

FOCTAt its cap
At its capFOCT: reference +17.2% since period start, fund +14.1%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +15.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.10 pts of buffer+15.1% gain captured−10.0% floor0% period start+15.1% capTODAY · SPY +17.2%At its capFOCT: reference +17.2% since period start, fund +14.1%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +15.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.10 pts+15.1% gained−10.0% floor0% start+15.1% capTODAY · SPY +17.2%

FOCT: reference +17.2% since period start, fund +14.1%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +15.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

FOCT: reference +17.2% since period start, fund +14.1%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +15.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · BJAN scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, 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 → How it is computed →

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

They do not reset together. FOCT has 7 days of its period left and BJAN has 83, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

FOCT resets first, on Oct 16, 2026, 7 days from now; BJAN runs to Dec 31, 2026, 83 days. BJAN can still gain 3.9% before its cap, FOCT 0.1%. A fall from here reaches BJAN’s buffer after 10.9% and FOCT’s after 13.1%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: BJAN vs FOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowBJANFOCTBJANFOCT
3 months+3.4%+3.8%+0.2 pts+0.7 pts
6 months+11.0%+11.1%−3.5 pts−3.5 pts
1 year+15.3%+14.4%−0.7 pts−1.6 pts
3 years+64.4%+47.4%−14.8 pts−31.8 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: BJAN Jan 2019 · FOCT Oct 2020
+154.3%+84.2%−56.9 pts−43.5 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open this comparison in the app →

On the same fields

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
FOCT
FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - October · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 15.1%, over a period ending Oct 16, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 9% 10%
Outcome period Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026 Oct 20, 2025 to Oct 16, 2026
Days left 83 7
Starting cap +16.5% +15.1%
Can still gain 3.9% 0.1%
Fall before buffer 10.9% 13.1%
Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 10.0% of 10.0%
Index return this period +14.2% +17.2%
Fund return this period +11.4% +14.1%
State today Open At cap
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%
Net assets $351m $1.2bn

As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About BJAN

From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 3.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 10.9% 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: 9.0% of the 9.0% 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.

About FOCT

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +15.1% 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 0.1% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 13.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 14.7% 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. 7 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Oct 16, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BJAN or FOCT?
From their prices on Oct 9, 2026, BJAN can gain about 3.9% before its cap and FOCT about 0.1%, so BJAN has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BJAN or FOCT?
BJAN ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and FOCT on Oct 16, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BJAN or FOCT?
BJAN charges 0.79% a year and FOCT charges 0.85%, so BJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from

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.

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ETFIQ, BJAN against FOCT, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bjan-vs-foct

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