CPST vs DAUG: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 DAUG can fall 6.9% before its buffer engages and CPST 0.6%, and DAUG resets 11 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $41m for Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - September and $446m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - August.
CPST costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.6 points; DAUG is 10.8 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| CPST | DAUG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.69% | 0.85% |
| Net assets | $41m | $446m |
| Total return, 1 year | +5.4% | +10.0% |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 2.2% | 6.6% |
CPST: reference +2.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer Floor; cap +8.1%; Full floor. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DAUG: reference +1.7% since period start, fund +1.1%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
DAUG: reference +1.7% since period start, fund +1.1%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +13.8%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
These are two different products. CPST is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DAUG 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
DAUG resets first, on Aug 20, 2027, 315 days from now; CPST runs to Aug 31, 2027, 326 days. A fall from here reaches CPST’s buffer after 0.6% and DAUG’s after 6.9%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
Performance, window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | CPST | DAUG | CPST | DAUG |
| 3 months | +1.2% | +2.1% | −1.9 pts | −1.1 pts |
| 6 months | +3.6% | +7.6% | −11.0 pts | −7.0 pts |
| 1 year | +5.4% | +10.0% | −10.6 pts | −6.0 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +44.0% | not published | −35.2 pts |
| Since launch Not the same days: CPST Sep 2024 · DAUG Nov 2019 | +14.1% | +59.3% | −26.9 pts | −93.3 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
As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About CPST
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 2.2% 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. 326 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Aug 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
About DAUG
From its price on Oct 9, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.6% 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. 315 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Aug 20, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
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, CPST against DAUG, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpst-vs-daug
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). CPST against DAUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpst-vs-daug
[CPST against DAUG (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpst-vs-daug)
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