CPSA vs DAUG: which one stands where?
As of Oct 1, 2026 DAUG can fall 5.8% before its buffer engages and CPSA 0.7%, and CPSA resets 21 days sooner. Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - August and FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - August.
CPSA: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer −0 to floor; cap +7.7%; Full floor.
DAUG: reference −0.4% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +13.8%; In the unprotected slice.
These are two different products. CPSA is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DAUG is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
DAUG has fallen through its protection. The index is 0.4% below where the buffer stops, and that part of the loss is the holder’s.
Where each one stands today
CPSA resets first, on Jul 31, 2027, 303 days from now; DAUG runs to Aug 20, 2027, 324 days. A fall from here reaches CPSA’s buffer after 0.7% and DAUG’s after 5.8%. Both track SPY, 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 | CPSA | DAUG | CPSA | DAUG |
| 3 months | +1.2% | +1.5% | −1.3 pts | −1.0 pts |
| 6 months | +4.2% | +8.7% | −12.8 pts | −8.3 pts |
| 1 year | +5.5% | +9.0% | −10.2 pts | −6.7 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +43.7% | not published | −41.3 pts |
CPSA and DAUG over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
CPSA and DAUG on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
CPSA in plain words
The fund's price can fall 0.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 99.9% of the 99.9% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 303 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Jul 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
DAUG in plain words
From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 4.6% 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. 324 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Aug 20, 2027 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, CPSA against DAUG, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-daug
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, CPSA against DAUG, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-daug Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
Other forms
- Plain
- ETFIQ, CPSA against DAUG, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-daug
- APA
- ETFIQ. (Oct 1, 2026). CPSA against DAUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-daug
- Markdown
- [CPSA against DAUG (ETFIQ, Oct 1, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-daug)