CPSF vs PBFB: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 PBFB can fall 7.0% before its buffer engages and CPSF 4.1%, and CPSF resets 2 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $35m for Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - February and $42m for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - February.
PBFB costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.3 points; PBFB is 1.2 times larger.
| CPSF | PBFB | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.50% |
| Net assets | $35m | $42m |
| Total return, 1 year | +6.1% | +10.4% |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 10.7% | 11.1% |
CPSF: reference +12.0% since period start, fund +3.8%; buffer Floor; cap +6.3%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
PBFB: reference +12.5% since period start, fund +7.0%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +10.7%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
PBFB: reference +12.5% since period start, fund +7.0%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +10.7%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
These are two different products. CPSF is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. PBFB 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
CPSF resets first, on Jan 29, 2027, 112 days from now; PBFB runs to Jan 31, 2027, 114 days. A fall from here reaches CPSF’s buffer after 4.1% and PBFB’s after 7.0%. 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 | CPSF | PBFB | CPSF | PBFB |
| 3 months | +1.6% | +2.4% | −1.5 pts | −0.7 pts |
| 6 months | +3.8% | +7.1% | −10.8 pts | −7.5 pts |
| 1 year | +6.1% | +10.4% | −9.9 pts | −5.6 pts |
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.
CPSF in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.3% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 4.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.7% 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. 112 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Jan 29, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
PBFB in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +10.7% 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 2.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 7.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.1% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 114 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Jan 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.
ETFIQ, CPSF against PBFB, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsf-vs-pbfb
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). CPSF against PBFB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsf-vs-pbfb
[CPSF against PBFB (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsf-vs-pbfb)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.