Which resets first, CPSP or DMAR?

CPSP ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and DMAR on Mar 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, CPSP or DMAR?

CPSP charges 0.69% a year and DMAR charges 0.85%, so CPSP is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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CPSP vs DMAR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 13, 2026 DMAR can fall 13.4% before its buffer engages and CPSP 3.8%, and DMAR resets 12 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 12, 2026: $24m for Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - April and $466m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March.

CPSP costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.0 points; DMAR is 19.4 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

CPSP vs DMAR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	CPSP	DMAR
Expense ratio	0.69%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$24m	$466m
Total return, 1 year	+6.3%	+13.3%
What it tracks	SPY	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
Index fall to the buffer	15.8%	20.7%

CPSPAt its cap

CPSP: reference +18.8% since period start, fund +3.6%; buffer Floor; cap +6.7%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

DMARAt its cap

DMAR: reference +19.8% since period start, fund +8.7%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +13.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

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

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

Where each one stands today

DMAR resets first, on Mar 19, 2027, 157 days from now; CPSP runs to Mar 31, 2027, 169 days. A fall from here reaches CPSP’s buffer after 3.8% and DMAR’s after 13.4%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: CPSP vs DMAR: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
	Total return		Gap to the reference's price return
Window	CPSP	DMAR	CPSP	DMAR
3 months	+1.4%	+2.5%	−2.5 pts	−1.4 pts
6 months	+2.8%	+5.8%	−10.7 pts	−7.6 pts
1 year	+6.3%	+13.3%	−12.8 pts	−5.8 pts
3 years	not published	+42.1%	not published	−38.2 pts
Since launch Not the same days: CPSP Apr 2025 · DMAR Mar 2021	+10.6%	+54.2%	−28.1 pts	−44.0 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

CPSP

Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - April · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 6.7%, over a period ending Mar 31, 2027

DMAR

FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 13.1%, over a period ending Mar 19, 2027

Issuer Calamos First Trust

Reference index SPY SPY

Buffer 100% 5% to 30%

Outcome period Apr 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 Mar 23, 2026 to Mar 19, 2027

Days left 169 157

Starting cap +6.7% +13.1%

Can still gain not published 3.3%

Fall before buffer 3.8% 13.4%

Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 25.0% of 25.0%

Index return this period +18.8% +19.8%

Fund return this period +3.6% +8.7%

State today At cap At cap

Expense ratio 0.69% 0.85%

Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026 $24m $466m

As of Oct 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About CPSP

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.7% for the period on Oct 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 3.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.8% 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. 169 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Mar 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About DMAR

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +13.1% for the period on Oct 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.3% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 13.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 20.7% 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. 157 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Mar 19, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, CPSP or DMAR?: CPSP ends its outcome period on Mar 31, 2027 and DMAR on Mar 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSP or DMAR?: CPSP charges 0.69% a year and DMAR charges 0.85%, so CPSP is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

CPSP vs PMAY CPSP vs PAPR CPSP vs FAPR CPSP vs MAYW DMAR vs FLAO DMAR vs APOC DMAR vs SIXO DMAR vs UAPR

S&P 500 (SPY) →All buffer ETFs ranked by the Downside Cover Score →How the scores are computed →CPSP on its own →DMAR on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

CPSP filings on SEC EDGAR ↗CPSP prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗Calamos website ↗DMAR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for DMAR ↗

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, CPSP against DMAR, data as of Oct 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsp-vs-dmar

Open data

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