Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BSEP vs DOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 28, 2026 DOCT can fall 6.3% before its buffer engages and BSEP 0.9%, and BSEP resets 45 days sooner.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about BSEP and DOCT
Net assets: $465m on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - Sep, and $421m on Oct 27, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October.
BSEP: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +19.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
BSEP: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −9; cap +19.8%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.Pair scorecard
BSEP costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.2 points; BSEP is 1.1 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BSEP | DOCT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.3% | +10.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Index fall to the buffer | 0.6% | 6.1% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 0.85% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $464m | $421m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
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
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 →
Window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | BSEP | DOCT | BSEP | DOCT |
| 3 months | +3.7% | +4.3% | −2.1 pts | −1.5 pts |
| 6 months | +6.9% | +6.8% | −1.7 pts | −1.7 pts |
| 1 year | +11.3% | +10.1% | −1.1 pts | −2.3 pts |
| 3 years | +67.1% | +44.1% | −21.0 pts | −44.0 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BSEP Sep 2019 · DOCT Aug 2020 | +125.5% | +285.9% | −40.1 pts | +157.4 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
As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
They do not reset together. BSEP has 307 days of its period left and DOCT has 352, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.
Where each one stands today
BSEP resets first, on Aug 31, 2027, 307 days from now; DOCT runs to Oct 15, 2027, 352 days. BSEP can still gain 18.7% before its cap, DOCT 12.7%. A fall from here reaches BSEP’s buffer after 0.9% and DOCT’s after 6.3%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
BSEP and DOCT are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- Protection and cap. BSEP: Absorbs the first 9% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 19.8%, over a period ending Aug 31, 2027. DOCT: Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 14.2%, over a period ending Oct 15, 2027. The starting caps are 5.6 points apart.
- Outcome period (similar). BSEP runs Aug 31, 2026 to Aug 31, 2027 with 307 days left; DOCT runs Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 15, 2027 with 352 days left.
- What each follows (similar). Both follow SPY.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
BSEP
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 18.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.6% 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. 307 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Aug 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
DOCT
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.1% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 25.0% of the 25.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 352 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Oct 15, 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
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, BSEP against DOCT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bsep-vs-doct
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BSEP against DOCT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bsep-vs-doct
[BSEP against DOCT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/bsep-vs-doct)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.