Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BSEP vs CPST: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 BSEP can fall 0.6% before its buffer engages and CPST 0.6%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about BSEP and CPST
Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $462m for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Sep and $41m for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - September.
BSEP: reference −0.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +19.8%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
BSEP: reference −0.1% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +19.8%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.CPST: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; cap +8.1%; Full floor. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
CPST costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.9 points; BSEP is 11.3 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BSEP | CPST |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +5.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 0.69% |
| Net assets | $462m | $41m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
Window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | BSEP | CPST | BSEP | CPST |
| 3 months | +1.3% | +0.8% | +1.7 pts | +1.2 pts |
| 6 months | +5.0% | +2.3% | +0.5 pts | −2.1 pts |
| 1 year | +12.1% | +5.2% | −1.5 pts | −8.4 pts |
| 3 years | +59.6% | – | −16.8 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: BSEP Sep 2019 · CPST Sep 2024 | +125.0% | +14.1% | −38.7 pts | −24.8 pts |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. – means no data for this window. Open this comparison in the app →
Side by side
As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
These are two different products. CPST is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. BSEP is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
Where each one stands today
BSEP resets first, on Aug 31, 2027, 300 days from now; CPST runs to Aug 31, 2027, 300 days. A fall from here reaches BSEP’s buffer after 0.6% and CPST’s after 0.6%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
BSEP
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 19.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 8.9% of the 9.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 300 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Aug 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
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, BSEP against CPST, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bsep-vs-cpst
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BSEP against CPST. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bsep-vs-cpst
[BSEP against CPST (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bsep-vs-cpst)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.