CPSO vs DOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 21, 2026 DOCT can fall 6.3% before its buffer engages and CPSO 0.6%, and CPSO resets 15 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $32m for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - October and $414m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

CPSO costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.9 points; DOCT is 13.1 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

CPSO vs DOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
CPSODOCT
Expense ratio0.69%0.85%
Net assets$32m$414m
Total return, 1 year+6.0%+10.9%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer1.2%6.2%

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CPSOFull floor
Full floorCPSO: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +8.8%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.full floor beneath+7.6% to capfull floor0% period start+8.8% cap+1.2% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +1.2%Full floorCPSO: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +8.8%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% start+8.8% cap+1.2% gain captured+7.6% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.2%

CPSO: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +8.8%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DOCTBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capDOCT: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.25 pts of buffer+12.9% more to the cap−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+14.2% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+1.3% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +1.3%Between buffer and capDOCT: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.25 pts−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+14.2% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+1.3% gain captured+12.9% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.3%

DOCT: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

DOCT: reference +1.3% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

These are two different products. CPSO is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DOCT 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

CPSO resets first, on Sep 30, 2027, 344 days from now; DOCT runs to Oct 15, 2027, 359 days. A fall from here reaches CPSO’s buffer after 0.6% and DOCT’s after 6.3%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: CPSO vs DOCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowCPSODOCTCPSODOCT
3 months+1.9%+3.5%−1.5 pts0.0 pts
6 months+3.7%+6.9%−5.0 pts−1.8 pts
1 year+6.0%+10.9%−9.1 pts−4.2 pts
3 years–+42.0%–−41.6 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: CPSO Oct 2024 · DOCT Aug 2020
+12.8%+285.7%−23.2 pts+157.0 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. – means no data for this window, usually because the fund is younger than it. Open this comparison in the app →

On the same fields

CPSO
Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - October · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 8.8%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027
DOCT
FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 14.2%, over a period ending Oct 15, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 5% to 30%
Outcome period Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 15, 2027
Days left 344 359
Starting cap +8.8% +14.2%
Can still gain not published 12.8%
Fall before buffer 0.6% 6.3%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 25.0% of 25.0%
Index return this period +1.2% +1.3%
Fund return this period +0.6% +0.5%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.85%
Net assets $32m $414m

As of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About CPSO

The fund's price can fall 0.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.2% 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. 344 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About DOCT

From its price on Oct 21, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.8% more before it reaches its cap. 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 6.2% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 25.0% of the 25.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 359 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Oct 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, CPSO or DOCT?
CPSO ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and DOCT on Oct 15, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSO or DOCT?
CPSO charges 0.69% a year and DOCT charges 0.85%, so CPSO 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, CPSO against DOCT, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpso-vs-doct

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