Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

CPSO vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 POCT can fall 0.8% before its buffer engages and CPSO 0.6%.

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Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $34m for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - October and $1.1bn for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Oct.

At a glance
CPSO Full floor
Full floorCPSO: reference +0.4% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +8.8%; Full floor. Data to Nov 4, 2026.full floor beneath+8.4% to capfull floor0% period start+8.8% cap+0.4% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.4%Full floorCPSO: reference +0.4% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +8.8%; Full floor. Data to Nov 4, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% start+8.8% cap+0.4% gain captured+8.4% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.4%

CPSO: reference +0.4% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer Floor; cap +8.8%; Full floor. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.
POCT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPOCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+15.1% more to the cap−15.0% floor0% period start+15.6% cap+0.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.5%Between buffer and capPOCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% start+15.6% cap+0.5% gain captured+15.1% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.5%

POCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

POCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

CPSO costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.2 points; POCT is far larger, $1.1bn against $34m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

CPSO vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureCPSOPOCT
Return
Total return, 1 year+6.1%+11.3%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer0.4%0.5%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.69%0.79%
Net assets$34m$1.1bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published

Method

Risk and return

Oct 11, 2024 to Oct 30, 2026 · 107 weekly returns · each against SPY
CPSO POCT
Return
Total return edge POCT +12.4% +22.4%
Annualized edge POCT +5.8% +10.3%
Price return edge POCT +12.4% +22.4%
Risk
Volatility edge CPSO 2.7% 7.6%
Max drawdown edge CPSO −3.0% −9.1%
Downside capture 15.5% 50.9%
Beta 0.17 0.50
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge POCT 0.62 0.80
Sortino edge POCT 0.94 1.20
Treynor 0.098 0.122
Calmar edge CPSO 1.95 1.13
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.2% a year +0.5% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.35 0.46
Information ratio −0.76 −0.66
Tracking error 12.4% 7.6%
Reading

From Oct 2024 to Oct 2026, POCT returned more: +22.4% to +12.4%. CPSO swung less: 2.7% to 7.6%. CPSO fell less at its worst: −3.0% to −9.1%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: CPSO vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureCPSOPOCTSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+12.4%+22.4%POCTPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+5.8%+10.3%POCTTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+12.4%+22.4%POCTPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility2.7%7.6%CPSOSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation1.8%5.1%CPSOLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−3.0%−9.1%CPSODeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture13.8%39.7%100.0%POCTShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture15.5%50.9%100.0%CPSOShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.170.501.00CPSO lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.890.951.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.620.80POCTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.941.20POCTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.0980.1220.111POCTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar1.951.13CPSOAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.2% a year+0.5% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.350.46Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−1.4% to +1.0%−1.8% to +2.9%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.76−0.66POCTReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error12.4%7.6%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 107 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: CPSO vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowCPSOPOCTCPSOPOCT
3 months+1.4%+2.2%+1.8 pts+2.6 pts
6 months+3.1%+5.3%−1.3 pts+0.8 pts
1 year+6.1%+11.3%−7.5 pts−2.3 pts
3 years–+40.0%–−36.4 pts
Since launchNot the same days: CPSO Oct 2024 · POCT Oct 2018+12.7%+100.3%−22.1 pts−62.5 pts

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

Side by side

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 POCT Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 15.6%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 15%
Outcome period Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Days left 330 330
Starting cap +8.8% +15.6%
Can still gain not published 14.7%
Fall before buffer 0.6% 0.8%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +0.4% +0.5%
Fund return this period +0.6% +0.7%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.79%
Net assets $34m $1.1bn

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

These are two different products. CPSO is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. POCT 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, 330 days from now; POCT runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. A fall from here reaches CPSO’s buffer after 0.6% and POCT’s after 0.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief:

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About each fund
CPSO

The fund's price can fall 0.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.4% 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. 330 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

POCT

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 14.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.5% 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

Which resets first, CPSO or POCT?
CPSO ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and POCT on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSO or POCT?
CPSO charges 0.69% a year and POCT charges 0.79%, so CPSO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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Sources and dates

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

ETFIQ calculates every number 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 number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

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ETFIQ, CPSO against POCT, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpso-vs-poct

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