Which has more room to gain, BJAN or XDEC?

From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, BJAN can gain about 3.9% before its cap and XDEC about 1.2%, so BJAN has more room left this period.

Which resets first, BJAN or XDEC?

BJAN ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and XDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, BJAN or XDEC?

BJAN charges 0.79% a year and XDEC charges 0.85%, so BJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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BJAN vs XDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 13, 2026 BJAN can fall 10.9% before its buffer engages and XDEC 8.1%, and XDEC resets 13 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 13, 2026: $351m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Jan and $209m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - December.

BJAN costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.1 points; BJAN is 1.7 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BJAN vs XDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	BJAN	XDEC
Expense ratio	0.79%	0.85%
Net assets	$351m	$209m
Total return, 1 year	+15.9%	+9.8%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	12.3%	12.5%

10.9%

BJAN can fall this far before its buffer

8.1%

XDEC can fall this far before its buffer

3.9%

BJAN can still gain

1.2%

XDEC can still gain

BJANBetween buffer and cap

BJAN: reference +14.1% since period start, fund +11.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

XDECAt its cap

XDEC: reference +14.3% since period start, fund +7.9%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

These are two different products. XDEC is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. BJAN is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.

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

Where each one stands today

XDEC resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 66 days from now; BJAN runs to Dec 31, 2026, 79 days. BJAN can still gain 3.9% before its cap, XDEC 1.2%. A fall from here reaches BJAN’s buffer after 10.9% and XDEC’s after 8.1%. 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 XDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	BJAN	XDEC	BJAN	XDEC
3 months	+3.5%	+2.4%	0.0 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	+9.4%	+6.0%	−2.6 pts	−6.1 pts
1 year	+15.9%	+9.8%	−1.4 pts	−7.5 pts
3 years	+65.3%	+33.2%	−15.0 pts	−47.1 pts
Since launch Not the same days: BJAN Jan 2019 · XDEC Dec 2021	+154.3%	+45.8%	−56.6 pts	−25.2 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

XDEC

FT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 10.1%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 9% 15%

Outcome period Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026 Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026

Days left 79 66

Starting cap +16.5% +10.1%

Can still gain 3.9% 1.2%

Fall before buffer 10.9% 8.1%

Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period +14.1% +14.3%

Fund return this period +11.5% +7.9%

State today Open At cap

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.85%

Net assets $351m $209m

As of Oct 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About BJAN

From its price on Oct 13, 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 12.3% 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. 79 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About XDEC

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +10.1% for the period on Oct 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 1.2% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 8.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.5% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 66 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BJAN or XDEC?: From their prices on Oct 13, 2026, BJAN can gain about 3.9% before its cap and XDEC about 1.2%, so BJAN has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BJAN or XDEC?: BJAN ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and XDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BJAN or XDEC?: BJAN charges 0.79% a year and XDEC charges 0.85%, so BJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BJAN vs PMAR BJAN vs PMAY BJAN vs ZALT BJAN vs PNOV XDEC vs EALT XDEC vs ZALT XDEC vs ZJAN XDEC vs DDSQ

SPY →All buffer ETFs ranked by the Downside Cover Score →How the scores are computed →BJAN on its own →XDEC on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

BJAN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for BJAN ↗XDEC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for XDEC ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BJAN against XDEC, data as of Oct 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bjan-vs-xdec

Open data

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