CPNQ vs QDEC: which one stands where?
As of Oct 1, 2026 QDEC can fall 12.6% before its buffer engages and CPNQ 5.6%, and CPNQ resets 18 days sooner. Calamos Nasdaq-100 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - December and FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Buffer ETF - December.
CPNQ: reference +19.9% since period start, fund +5.4%; buffer −0 to floor; cap +6.6%; At its cap.
QDEC: reference +19.9% since period start, fund +13.3%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +18.2%; At its cap.
These are two different products. CPNQ is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. QDEC is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
Both are already at their cap, so neither gains from more rise in the index before the period ends.
Where each one stands today
CPNQ resets first, on Dec 1, 2026, 61 days from now; QDEC runs to Dec 18, 2026, 79 days. A fall from here reaches CPNQ’s buffer after 5.6% and QDEC’s after 12.6%. Both track QQQ, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.
Performance, window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | CPNQ | QDEC | CPNQ | QDEC |
| 3 months | +1.8% | +3.9% | −0.3 pts | +1.8 pts |
| 6 months | +5.4% | +16.8% | −21.5 pts | −10.1 pts |
| 1 year | +6.7% | +18.6% | −17.1 pts | −5.2 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +63.0% | not published | −46.9 pts |
CPNQ and QDEC over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
CPNQ and QDEC on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
CPNQ in plain words
QQQ had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.6% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 5.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 17.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 99.5% of the 99.5% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 61 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 1, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
QDEC in plain words
QQQ had already risen past this fund's cap of +18.2% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.5% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 12.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 16.6% 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 QQQ level. 79 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
ETFIQ, CPNQ against QDEC, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpnq-vs-qdec
Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, CPNQ against QDEC, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpnq-vs-qdec Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
Other forms
- Plain
- ETFIQ, CPNQ against QDEC, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpnq-vs-qdec
- APA
- ETFIQ. (Oct 1, 2026). CPNQ against QDEC. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpnq-vs-qdec
- Markdown
- [CPNQ against QDEC (ETFIQ, Oct 1, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpnq-vs-qdec)