DDFJ vs EALT: which one stands where?
As of Oct 1, 2026 DDFJ can fall 6.4% before its buffer engages and EALT 5.0%. Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - Jan and Innovator U.S. Equity 5 to 15 Buffer ETF - Quarterly.
DDFJ: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +6.2%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +9.0%; At its cap.
EALT: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap.
These are two different products. EALT is a floor fund, which caps how far a holder can fall. DDFJ is a buffer fund, which absorbs the first part of a fall and leaves everything below it with the holder.
DDFJ is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.
Both are Innovator funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.
Where each one stands today
DDFJ resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 92 days from now; EALT runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. DDFJ can still gain 2.0% before its cap, EALT 7.0%. A fall from here reaches DDFJ’s buffer after 6.4% and EALT’s after 5.0%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.
Performance, window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | DDFJ | EALT | DDFJ | EALT |
| 3 months | +2.2% | +2.1% | −0.3 pts | −0.4 pts |
| 6 months | +7.0% | +8.3% | −10.0 pts | −8.7 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +5.8% | not published | −9.9 pts |
DDFJ and EALT over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
DDFJ and EALT on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DDFJ in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +9.0% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.0% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 6.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.6% 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. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
EALT in plain words
From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 7.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 5.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level.
Questions people ask
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
ETFIQ, DDFJ against EALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddfj-vs-ealt
Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, DDFJ against EALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddfj-vs-ealt Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
Other forms
- Plain
- ETFIQ, DDFJ against EALT, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddfj-vs-ealt
- APA
- ETFIQ. (Oct 1, 2026). DDFJ against EALT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddfj-vs-ealt
- Markdown
- [DDFJ against EALT (ETFIQ, Oct 1, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ddfj-vs-ealt)