CPSA vs ZSEP: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 21, 2026 CPSA can fall 1.2% before its buffer engages and ZSEP 0.8%, and CPSA resets 32 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $50m for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - August and $243m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr September.
CPSA costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points; ZSEP is 4.9 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| CPSA | ZSEP | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.79% |
| Net assets | $50m | $243m |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.7% | +5.5% |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 2.0% | 0.8% |
CPSA: reference +2.0% since period start, fund +1.1%; buffer Floor; cap +7.8%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.
Figures to Oct 21, 2026.
ZSEP: reference +0.8% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer Floor; cap +8.9%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.
Figures to Oct 21, 2026.
They do not reset together. CPSA has 282 days of its period left and ZSEP has 314, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.
Where each one stands today
CPSA resets first, on Jul 30, 2027, 282 days from now; ZSEP runs to Aug 31, 2027, 314 days. A fall from here reaches CPSA’s buffer after 1.2% and ZSEP’s after 0.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
Performance, window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | CPSA | ZSEP | CPSA | ZSEP |
| 3 months | +1.4% | +1.4% | −2.1 pts | −2.1 pts |
| 6 months | +3.0% | +2.9% | −5.7 pts | −5.8 pts |
| 1 year | +5.7% | +5.5% | −9.5 pts | −9.7 pts |
| Since launch Not the same days: CPSA Aug 2024 · ZSEP Sep 2024 | +16.5% | +14.0% | −25.9 pts | −26.0 pts |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open this comparison in the app →
On the same fields
As of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About CPSA
The fund's price can fall 1.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 100.0% of the 100.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 282 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Jul 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
About ZSEP
From its price on Oct 21, 2026, the fund can gain about 8.1% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.8% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. 314 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Aug 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
ETFIQ calculates every figure 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 figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, CPSA against ZSEP, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-zsep
ETFIQ. (Oct 21, 2026). CPSA against ZSEP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-zsep
[CPSA against ZSEP (ETFIQ, Oct 21, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsa-vs-zsep)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.