CPSY vs PQXX: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

As of Oct 21, 2026 CPSY can fall 4.8% before its buffer engages and PQXX 0.6%. Net assets on Oct 21, 2026: $29m for Calamos S&P 500 Structured Alt Protection ETF - January and $4m for PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 20 ETF.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

PQXX costs 0.19 points a year less; CPSY is 8.0 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

CPSY vs PQXX: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
CPSYPQXX
Expense ratio0.69%0.50%
Net assets$29m$4m
Total return, 1 year+6.0%not published
What it tracksSPYSPY
Holdings in commonnot published
Index fall to the buffer11.6%1.4%

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CPSYAt its cap
At its capCPSY: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +4.5%; buffer Floor; cap +6.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.full floor beneath+6.4%full floor0% period start+6.4% capTODAY · SPY +13.2%At its capCPSY: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +4.5%; buffer Floor; cap +6.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.full floor beneathfull floor0% start+6.4% cap+6.4% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +13.2%

CPSY: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +4.5%; buffer Floor; cap +6.4%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

PQXXBetween buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPQXX: reference +1.4% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.20 pts of buffer−20.0% floor0% period start+2.5% cap+1.4% gain captured+1.1% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.4%Between buffer and capPQXX: reference +1.4% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.20 pts−20.0% floor0% start+2.5% cap+1.4% gain captured+1.1% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.4%

PQXX: reference +1.4% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

PQXX: reference +1.4% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +2.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 21, 2026.

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

CPSY is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

CPSY resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 71 days from now; PQXX runs to Dec 31, 2026, 71 days. A fall from here reaches CPSY’s buffer after 4.8% and PQXX’s after 0.6%. 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 PQXX: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowCPSYPQXXCPSYPQXX
3 months+1.7%+2.1%−1.7 pts−1.4 pts
6 months+3.1%–−5.6 pts–
1 year+6.0%–−9.2 pts–
Since launch
Not the same days: CPSY Jan 2025 · PQXX Jul 2026
+11.7%+2.5%−20.6 pts−1.2 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

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
PQXX
PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 20 ETF · Absorbs the first 20% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 2.5%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Issuer Calamos PGIM
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 100% 20%
Outcome period Jan 2, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 71 71
Starting cap +6.4% +2.5%
Can still gain not published 1.9%
Fall before buffer 4.8% 0.6%
Protection left, index points 100.0% of 100.0% 20.0% of 20.0%
Index return this period +13.2% +1.4%
Fund return this period +4.5% +0.5%
State today At cap Open
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.50%
Net assets $29m $4m

As of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About CPSY

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +6.4% for the period on Oct 21, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's price can fall 4.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.6% 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. 71 days remained on Oct 21, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

About PQXX

From its price on Oct 21, 2026, the fund can gain about 1.9% more before it reaches its cap. 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 1.4% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, CPSY or PQXX?
CPSY ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and PQXX on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, CPSY or PQXX?
CPSY charges 0.69% a year and PQXX charges 0.50%, so PQXX 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.

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ETFIQ, CPSY against PQXX, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/cpsy-vs-pqxx

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