CPSD vs DLNV: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 DLNV can fall 11.5% before its buffer engages and CPSD 5.4%, and DLNV resets 10 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $46m for Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - December and $20m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Dual Directional Buffer ETF - November.
CPSD costs 0.16 points a year less; CPSD is 2.3 times larger.
| CPSD | DLNV | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.85% |
| Net assets | $46m | $20m |
| Total return, 1 year | +6.5% | not published |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 12.6% | 15.4% |
CPSD: reference +14.4% since period start, fund +5.1%; buffer Floor; cap +6.7%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DLNV: reference +18.1% since period start, fund +12.1%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +14.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DLNV: reference +18.1% since period start, fund +12.1%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +14.0%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
These are two different products. CPSD is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DLNV 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
DLNV resets first, on Nov 20, 2026, 42 days from now; CPSD runs to Nov 30, 2026, 52 days. A fall from here reaches CPSD’s buffer after 5.4% and DLNV’s after 11.5%. 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 | CPSD | DLNV | CPSD | DLNV |
| 3 months | +1.7% | +2.7% | −1.4 pts | −0.5 pts |
| 6 months | +4.1% | +8.3% | −10.5 pts | −6.3 pts |
| 1 year | +6.5% | not published | −9.6 pts | not published |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
CPSD in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.7% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 5.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.6% 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. 52 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Nov 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
DLNV in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +14.0% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 0.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 11.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.4% 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 SPY level. 42 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Nov 20, 2026 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.
ETFIQ, CPSD against DLNV, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsd-vs-dlnv
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). CPSD against DLNV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsd-vs-dlnv
[CPSD against DLNV (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsd-vs-dlnv)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.