CTMA vs ZMAY: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Oct 9, 2026 CTMA can fall 7.0% before its buffer engages and ZMAY 3.0%. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $2m for Corgi U.S. Equities 30% Structured Buffer ETF - May Series and $83m for Innovator Equity Defined Protection ETF - 1 Yr May.
CTMA costs 0.49 points a year less; ZMAY is far larger, $83m against $2m.
| CTMA | ZMAY | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.30% | 0.79% |
| Net assets | $2m | $83m |
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +5.3% |
| What it tracks | SPY | SPY |
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 7.0% | 7.7% |
CTMA: reference +7.6% since period start, fund +4.4%; buffer 0 to −30; cap +11.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
CTMA: reference +7.6% since period start, fund +4.4%; buffer 0 to −30; cap +11.5%; Between buffer and cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
ZMAY: reference +8.3% since period start, fund +2.7%; buffer Floor; cap +7.3%; At its cap. Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
Figures to Oct 9, 2026.
These are two different products. ZMAY is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. CTMA is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
ZMAY is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.
Where each one stands today
CTMA resets first, on Apr 30, 2027, 203 days from now; ZMAY runs to Apr 30, 2027, 203 days. A fall from here reaches CTMA’s buffer after 7.0% and ZMAY’s after 3.0%. 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 | CTMA | ZMAY | CTMA | ZMAY |
| 3 months | +1.9% | +1.7% | −1.2 pts | −1.4 pts |
| 6 months | not published | +2.9% | not published | −11.7 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +5.3% | not published | −10.7 pts |
Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
As of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
CTMA in plain words
The fund's price can fall 7.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 7.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 30.0% of the 30.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 203 days remained on Oct 9, 2026. On Apr 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
ZMAY in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +7.3% for the period on Oct 9, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 4.1% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 3.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 7.7% 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.
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.
ETFIQ, CTMA against ZMAY, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ctma-vs-zmay
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). CTMA against ZMAY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ctma-vs-zmay
[CTMA against ZMAY (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ctma-vs-zmay)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.