CPSN vs DECP: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 21, 2026 DECP can fall 10.8% before its buffer engages and CPSN 6.3%, and CPSN resets 31 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $34m for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - November and $34m for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETF - December.

Ask IQ about this page

Ask IQ about CPSN and DECP

Answers cite the figures on this page.

DECP costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.0 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

CPSN vs DECP: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
CPSNDECP
Expense ratio0.69%0.50%
Net assets$34m$34m
Total return, 1 year+6.2%+14.2%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer11.6%

Get DECP's fund flows by email, every Sunday.

Plus the Friday ETF note. Confirm from the link that arrives, and unsubscribe in one click. See Privacy.

CPSNAt its cap
At its capCPSN: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +6.0%; buffer Floor; cap +6.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.full floor beneath+6.8%full floor0% period start+6.8% capTODAY · SPY +13.1%At its capCPSN: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +6.0%; buffer Floor; cap +6.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% start+6.8% cap+6.8% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +13.1%

CPSN: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +6.0%; buffer Floor; cap +6.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DECPBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capDECP: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +11.5%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +14.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.12 pts of buffer+13.1% gain captured−12.0% floor0% period start+14.8% cap+1.7% more to the capTODAY · SPY +13.1%Between buffer and capDECP: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +11.5%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +14.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.12 pts+13.1%−12.0% floor0% start+14.8% cap+1.7% more to the capTODAY · SPY +13.1%

DECP: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +11.5%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +14.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DECP: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +11.5%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +14.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

These are two different products. CPSN is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DECP is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.

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

They do not reset together. CPSN has 9 days of its period left and DECP has 40, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

CPSN resets first, on Oct 30, 2026, 9 days from now; DECP runs to Nov 30, 2026, 40 days. A fall from here reaches CPSN’s buffer after 6.3% and DECP’s after 10.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: CPSN vs DECP: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowCPSNDECPCPSNDECP
3 months+2.0%+3.6%−1.4 pts+0.2 pts
6 months+3.8%+7.4%−4.9 pts−1.3 pts
1 year+6.2%+14.2%−9.0 pts−0.9 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: CPSN Nov 2024 · DECP May 2024
+13.0%+34.7%−22.4 pts−11.4 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

CPSN
Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - November · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 6.8%, over a period ending Oct 30, 2026
DECP
PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETF - December · Absorbs the first 12% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 14.8%, over a period ending Nov 30, 2026
Issuer Calamos PGIM
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 12%
Outcome period Nov 3, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 Dec 1, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026
Days left 9 40
Starting cap +6.8% +14.8%
Can still gain not published 2.5%
Fall before buffer 6.3% 10.8%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 12.0% of 12.0%
Index return this period +13.1% +13.1%
Fund return this period +6.0% +11.5%
State today At cap Open
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.50%
Net assets $34m $34m

As of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About CPSN

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.8% for the period on Oct 21, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 6.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.6% 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. 9 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Oct 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About DECP

From its price on Oct 21, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.5% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 10.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. Protection left, in index points: 12.0% of the 12.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 40 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Nov 30, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, CPSN or DECP?
CPSN ends its outcome period on Oct 30, 2026 and DECP on Nov 30, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSN or DECP?
CPSN charges 0.69% a year and DECP charges 0.50%, so DECP is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from

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, CPSN against DECP, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsn-vs-decp

Open data

Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.