CPSN vs ZDEK: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 21, 2026 CPSN can fall 6.3% before its buffer engages and ZDEK 5.8%, and CPSN resets 31 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $34m for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - November and $108m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr December.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

CPSN costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points; ZDEK is 3.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

CPSN vs ZDEK: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
CPSNZDEK
Expense ratio0.69%0.79%
Net assets$34m$108m
Total return, 1 year+6.2%+6.4%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer11.6%

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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.

ZDEKAt its cap
At its capZDEK: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +5.3%; 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 capZDEK: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +5.3%; 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%

ZDEK: reference +13.1% since period start, fund +5.3%; buffer Floor; cap +6.8%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

Both are already at their cap, so neither gains from more rise in the index before the period ends.

They do not reset together. CPSN has 9 days of its period left and ZDEK 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; ZDEK runs to Nov 30, 2026, 40 days. A fall from here reaches CPSN’s buffer after 6.3% and ZDEK’s after 5.8%. 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 ZDEK: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowCPSNZDEKCPSNZDEK
3 months+2.0%+1.8%−1.4 pts−1.6 pts
6 months+3.8%+3.4%−4.9 pts−5.3 pts
1 year+6.2%+6.4%−9.0 pts−8.8 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: CPSN Nov 2024 · ZDEK Dec 2024
+13.0%+12.6%−22.4 pts−15.5 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
ZDEK
Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr December · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 6.8%, over a period ending Nov 30, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 100%
Outcome period Nov 3, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 Nov 30, 2025 to Nov 30, 2026
Days left 9 40
Starting cap +6.8% +6.8%
Can still gain not published 0.8%
Fall before buffer 6.3% 5.8%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 100.0% of 100.0%
Index return this period +13.1% +13.1%
Fund return this period +6.0% +5.3%
State today At cap At cap
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.79%
Net assets $34m $108m

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 ZDEK

The fund's own price can still drift up to about 0.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 5.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. 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 ZDEK?
CPSN ends its outcome period on Oct 30, 2026 and ZDEK on Nov 30, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSN or ZDEK?
CPSN charges 0.69% a year and ZDEK charges 0.79%, so CPSN 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 ZDEK, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsn-vs-zdek

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