CPSD vs JAJL: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 CPSD can fall 5.0% before its buffer engages and JAJL 1.4%, and CPSD resets 31 days sooner. Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - December and Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 6 Mo Jan/Jul.

CPSDAt its cap
At its capCPSD: reference +12.1% since period start, fund +4.7%; buffer −1 to floor; cap +6.1%; At its cap.full floor beneathfull floor−0.5% buffer start0% period start+6.1% capTODAY · SPY +12.1%At its capCPSD: reference +12.1% since period start, fund +4.7%; buffer −1 to floor; cap +6.1%; At its cap.full floor beneathfull floor−0.5% buffer start0% start+6.1% capTODAY · SPY +12.1%

CPSD: reference +12.1% since period start, fund +4.7%; buffer −1 to floor; cap +6.1%; At its cap.

JAJLFull floor
Full floorJAJL: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.2%; buffer Floor; cap +4.1%; Full floor.full floor beneathfull floor0% period start+4.1% capTODAY · SPY +2.1%Full floorJAJL: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.2%; buffer Floor; cap +4.1%; Full floor.full floor beneathfull floor0% start+4.1% capTODAY · SPY +2.1%

JAJL: reference +2.1% since period start, fund +1.2%; buffer Floor; cap +4.1%; Full floor.

CPSD is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

They do not reset together. CPSD has 61 days of its period left and JAJL has 92, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

CPSD resets first, on Dec 1, 2026, 61 days from now; JAJL runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. A fall from here reaches CPSD’s buffer after 5.0% and JAJL’s after 1.4%. 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 returnGap to the reference
WindowCPSDJAJLCPSDJAJL
3 months+1.6%+1.1%−0.9 pts−1.4 pts
6 months+4.5%+4.0%−12.5 pts−13.0 pts
1 year+6.3%+5.6%−9.4 pts−10.1 pts

CPSD and JAJL over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

CPSD
Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - December · Absorbs losses from 0.5% to 100.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 6.1%, over a period ending Dec 1, 2026
JAJL
Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 6 Mo Jan/Jul · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 4.1%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Issuer Calamos Innovator
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 1% to 100% 100%
Outcome period Dec 1, 2025 to Dec 1, 2026 Jun 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 61 92
Starting cap +6.1% +4.1%
Can still gain not published 2.7%
Fall before buffer 5.0% 1.4%
Protection left, index points 99.5% of 99.5% 100.0% of 100.0%
Index return this period +12.1% +2.1%
Fund return this period +4.7% +1.2%
State today At cap Open
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.79%
Net assets $46m $301m

CPSD and JAJL on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

CPSD in plain words

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.1% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 5.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.3% 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 SPY level. 61 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 1, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

JAJL in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.1% 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. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, CPSD or JAJL?
CPSD ends its outcome period on Dec 1, 2026 and JAJL on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSD or JAJL?
CPSD charges 0.69% a year and JAJL charges 0.79%, so CPSD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Cite this page

ETFIQ, CPSD against JAJL, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsd-vs-jajl

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.