CPSJ vs DDFL: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 DDFL can fall 2.9% before its buffer engages and CPSJ 1.6%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $50m for Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - July and $159m for Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Jul.
CPSJ costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.4 points; DDFL is 3.2 times larger.
| CPSJ | DDFL | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.79% |
| Net assets | $50m | $159m |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.5% | +7.9% |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 4.2% | 4.1% |
CPSJ: reference +4.4% since period start, fund +1.5%; buffer Floor; cap +7.7%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DDFL: reference +4.3% since period start, fund +2.8%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.9%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DDFL: reference +4.3% since period start, fund +2.8%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +10.9%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
These are two different products. CPSJ is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DDFL is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
Where each one stands today
CPSJ resets first, on Jun 30, 2027, 264 days from now; DDFL runs to Jun 30, 2027, 264 days. A fall from here reaches CPSJ’s buffer after 1.6% and DDFL’s after 2.9%. 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 | CPSJ | DDFL | CPSJ | DDFL |
| 3 months | +1.2% | +2.2% | −1.9 pts | −0.9 pts |
| 6 months | +3.3% | +4.8% | −11.3 pts | −9.8 pts |
| 1 year | +5.5% | +7.9% | −10.5 pts | −8.1 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.
CPSJ in plain words
The fund's price can fall 1.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 4.2% 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. 264 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Jun 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
DDFL in plain words
From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 7.8% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 4.1% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.
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, CPSJ against DDFL, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsj-vs-ddfl
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). CPSJ against DDFL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsj-vs-ddfl
[CPSJ against DDFL (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsj-vs-ddfl)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.