Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

vsOpen in the appCompare their flowsaskIQ about these two fundsAsk the committee about these two funds
Buffer ETFs

BMAY vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

Share
Share on XDownload as PDF

As of Nov 4, 2026 BMAY can fall 5.9% before its buffer engages and PMAY 5.1%.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about BMAY and PMAY

Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $182m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - May and $788m for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - May.

At a glance
5.9%
BMAY can fall this far before its buffer
5.1%
PMAY can fall this far before its buffer
10.1%
BMAY can still gain
7.3%
PMAY can still gain
BMAY Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capBMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.9%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.9 pts of buffer+6.7% gained+10.3% more to the cap−9.0% floor0% period start+16.9% capTODAY · SPY +6.7%Between buffer and capBMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.9%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.9 pts+6.7%−9.0% floor0% start+16.9% cap+10.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +6.7%

BMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.9%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

BMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.8%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +16.9%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PMAY Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+6.7% gained+6.3% to cap−15.0% floor0% period start+13.0% capTODAY · SPY +6.7%Between buffer and capPMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts+6.7%−15.0% floor0% start+13.0% cap+6.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +6.7%

PMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PMAY: reference +6.7% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +13.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 1.8 points; PMAY is 4.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BMAY vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureBMAYPMAY
Return
Total return, 1 year+10.9%+9.1%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer6.2%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.79%0.79%
Net assets$182m$788m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · PMAY scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score20.5BMAY74.1PMAY

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

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

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

May 8, 2020 to Oct 30, 2026 · 338 weekly returns · each against SPY
BMAY PMAY
Return
Total return edge BMAY +87.3% +63.2%
Annualized edge BMAY +10.1% +7.8%
Price return edge BMAY +87.3% +63.2%
Risk
Volatility edge PMAY 10.3% 7.8%
Max drawdown edge PMAY −17.4% −12.6%
Downside capture 67.1% 50.1%
Beta 0.62 0.45
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge BMAY 0.69 0.62
Sortino edge BMAY 1.03 0.90
Treynor 0.116 0.107
Calmar edge PMAY (slight) 0.58 0.62
Against the benchmark
Alpha −1.6% a year −1.6% a year
Alpha t-stat −1.37 −1.34
Information ratio −1.03 −1.01
Tracking error 6.9% 9.4%
Reading

From May 2020 to Oct 2026, BMAY returned more: +87.3% to +63.2%. PMAY swung less: 7.8% to 10.3%. PMAY fell less at its worst: −12.6% to −17.4%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: BMAY vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureBMAYPMAYSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+87.3%+63.2%+182.6%BMAYPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+10.1%+7.8%+17.3%BMAYTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+87.3%+63.2%+158.4%BMAYPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility10.3%7.8%16.1%PMAYSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation6.9%5.3%10.4%PMAYLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−17.4%−12.6%−23.9%PMAYDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture46.6%31.1%100.0%BMAYShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture67.1%50.1%100.0%PMAYShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.620.451.00PMAY lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.920.851.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.690.620.89BMAYReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.030.901.36BMAYReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1160.1070.142BMAY (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.580.620.72PMAY (slight)Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−1.6% a year−1.6% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−1.37−1.34Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−4.0% to +0.7%−3.9% to +0.7%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−1.03−1.01PMAY (slight)Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error6.9%9.4%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, 338 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: BMAY vs PMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowBMAYPMAYBMAYPMAY
3 months+0.8%+1.2%+1.2 pts+1.6 pts
6 months+4.5%+3.9%0.0 pts−0.6 pts
1 year+10.9%+9.1%−2.6 pts−4.5 pts
3 years+54.8%+42.1%−21.6 pts−34.3 pts
Since launchBMAY May 2020 · PMAY May 2020+93.8%+67.9%−77.4 pts−103.3 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

BMAY Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - May · Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 16.9%, over a period ending Apr 30, 2027 PMAY Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - May · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 13.0%, over a period ending Apr 30, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 9% 15%
Outcome period Apr 30, 2026 to Apr 30, 2027 Apr 30, 2026 to Apr 30, 2027
Days left 177 177
Starting cap +16.9% +13.0%
Can still gain 10.1% 7.3%
Fall before buffer 5.9% 5.1%
Protection left, index points 9.0% of 9.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +6.7% +6.7%
Fund return this period +5.8% +5.0%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%
Net assets $182m $788m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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

Where each one stands today

BMAY resets first, on Apr 30, 2027, 177 days from now; PMAY runs to Apr 30, 2027, 177 days. BMAY can still gain 10.1% before its cap, PMAY 7.3%. A fall from here reaches BMAY’s buffer after 5.9% and PMAY’s after 5.1%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief:

The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.

Your saved page · Privacy.

Alert

BMAY and PMAY flows, by email on Sundays.

One-click unsubscribe. See Privacy.

About each fund
BMAY

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 10.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.2% 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. 177 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Apr 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PMAY

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 7.3% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, BMAY or PMAY?
From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, BMAY can gain about 10.1% before its cap and PMAY about 7.3%, so BMAY has more room left this period.
Which resets first, BMAY or PMAY?
BMAY ends its outcome period on Apr 30, 2027 and PMAY on Apr 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, BMAY or PMAY?
BMAY and PMAY both charge 0.79% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BMAY against PMAY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bmay-vs-pmay

Open data →

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