CPSY vs GDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 13, 2026 GDEC can fall 9.2% before its buffer engages and CPSY 4.7%, and GDEC resets 13 days sooner. Net assets on Oct 13, 2026: $29m for Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - January and $394m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December.

CPSY costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.2 points; GDEC is 13.7 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

CPSY vs GDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
CPSYGDEC
Expense ratio0.69%0.85%
Net assets$29m$394m
Total return, 1 year+6.1%+12.3%
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer12.2%12.5%
CPSYAt its cap
At its capCPSY: reference +13.9% since period start, fund +4.4%; buffer Floor; cap +6.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.full floor beneath+6.4%full floor0% period start+6.4% capTODAY · SPY +13.9%At its capCPSY: reference +13.9% since period start, fund +4.4%; buffer Floor; cap +6.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% start+6.4% cap+6.4% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +13.9%

CPSY: reference +13.9% since period start, fund +4.4%; buffer Floor; cap +6.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

GDECAt its cap
At its capGDEC: reference +14.3% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.15 pts of buffer+12.1% gain captured−15.0% floor0% period start+12.1% capTODAY · SPY +14.3%At its capGDEC: reference +14.3% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.15 pts+12.1%−15.0% floor0% start+12.1% capTODAY · SPY +14.3%

GDEC: reference +14.3% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

GDEC: reference +14.3% since period start, fund +9.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.1%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 13, 2026.

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

GDEC resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 66 days from now; CPSY runs to Dec 31, 2026, 79 days. A fall from here reaches CPSY’s buffer after 4.7% and GDEC’s after 9.2%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Performance, window by window

Performance, window by window: CPSY vs GDEC: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowCPSYGDECCPSYGDEC
3 months+1.6%+2.8%−1.9 pts−0.7 pts
6 months+3.4%+7.1%−8.6 pts−4.9 pts
1 year+6.1%+12.3%−11.3 pts−5.1 pts
Since launch
Not the same days: CPSY Jan 2025 · GDEC Dec 2023
+11.6%+36.6%−21.5 pts−28.2 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

CPSY
Calamos S&P 500 ® Structured Alt Protection ETF - January · Absorbs the whole loss on SPY and caps the gain at 6.4%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
GDEC
FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - December · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.1%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 15%
Outcome period Jan 2, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Dec 22, 2025 to Dec 18, 2026
Days left 79 66
Starting cap +6.4% +12.1%
Can still gain not published 1.9%
Fall before buffer 4.7% 9.2%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +13.9% +14.3%
Fund return this period +4.4% +9.2%
State today At cap At cap
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.85%
Net assets $29m $394m

As of Oct 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About CPSY

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.4% for the period on Oct 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 4.7% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.2% 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. 79 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About GDEC

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.1% 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 1.9% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 9.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 12.5% 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. 66 days remained on Oct 13, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, CPSY or GDEC?
CPSY ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and GDEC on Dec 18, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSY or GDEC?
CPSY charges 0.69% a year and GDEC charges 0.85%, so CPSY 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, CPSY against GDEC, data as of Oct 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsy-vs-gdec

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