Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

DOCT vs PJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Oct 28, 2026 PJAN can fall 8.9% before its buffer engages and DOCT 6.3%, and PJAN resets 288 days sooner.

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Net assets: $421m on Oct 27, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October, and $1.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Jan.

At a glance
6.3%
DOCT can fall this far before its buffer
8.9%
PJAN can fall this far before its buffer
12.7%
DOCT can still gain
2.4%
PJAN can still gain
DOCT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capDOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.25 pts of buffer+13% more to the cap−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+14.2% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+1.2% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +1.2%Between buffer and capDOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.25 pts of buffer−30.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+14.2% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+1.2% gain captured+13% more to the capTODAY · SPY +1.2%

DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

DOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −30; cap +14.2%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
PJAN At its cap
At its capPJAN: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +8.9%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.15 pts of buffer+12.3% gain captured−15.0% floor0% period start+12.3% capTODAY · SPY +13.2%At its capPJAN: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +8.9%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.15 pts+12.3%−15.0% floor0% start+12.3% capTODAY · SPY +13.2%

PJAN: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +8.9%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

PJAN: reference +13.2% since period start, fund +8.9%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; At its cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PJAN costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.7 points; PJAN is 3.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

DOCT vs PJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureDOCTPJAN
Return
Total return, 1 year+10.1%+10.8%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer6.1%11.6%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.85%0.79%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$421m$1.4bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · DOCT scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score72.1DOCT52.2PJAN

How much of a bear-market fall the buffer would absorb from today's level, ranked against 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 100 is best. How it is computed

0.2, the lowest in this set 99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. Today's position against one 20% fall; it ignores smaller falls, and stock buffers are never ranked against bond or commodity ones. All buffer ETFs ranked by it →

Method

Window by window

Window by window: DOCT vs PJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowDOCTPJANDOCTPJAN
3 months+4.3%+3.7%−1.5 pts−2.1 pts
6 months+6.8%+5.9%−1.7 pts−2.7 pts
1 year+10.1%+10.8%−2.3 pts−1.7 pts
3 years+44.1%+51.5%−44.0 pts−36.6 pts
Since launchNot the same days: DOCT Aug 2020 · PJAN Jan 2019+285.9%+102.4%+157.4 pts−106.3 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Open this comparison in the app →

Side by side

DOCT FT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - October · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 14.2%, over a period ending Oct 15, 2027 PJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Jan · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.3%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 5% to 30% 15%
Outcome period Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 15, 2027 Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 352 64
Starting cap +14.2% +12.3%
Can still gain 12.7% 2.4%
Fall before buffer 6.3% 8.9%
Protection left, index points 25.0% of 25.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +1.2% +13.2%
Fund return this period +0.5% +8.9%
State today Open At cap
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.79%
Net assets, DOCT as of Oct 27, 2026 and PJAN as of Oct 28, 2026 $421m $1.4bn

As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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

They do not reset together. PJAN has 64 days of its period left and DOCT has 352, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

PJAN resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 64 days from now; DOCT runs to Oct 15, 2027, 352 days. DOCT can still gain 12.7% before its cap, PJAN 2.4%. A fall from here reaches DOCT’s buffer after 6.3% and PJAN’s after 8.9%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-06937E4C99

DOCT and PJAN are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Protection and cap. DOCT: Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 30.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 14.2%, over a period ending Oct 15, 2027. PJAN: Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 12.3%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026. The starting caps are 1.9 points apart.
  2. Outcome period. DOCT runs Oct 19, 2026 to Oct 15, 2027 with 352 days left; PJAN runs Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026 with 64 days left.
  3. Size. DOCT has $421m in net assets and PJAN $1.4bn (net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026); PJAN is 3.3 times larger.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
DOCT

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 12.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.3% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 6.1% 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. 352 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Oct 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PJAN

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.3% for the period on Oct 28, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.4% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 8.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.6% 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. 64 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, DOCT or PJAN?
From their prices on Oct 28, 2026, DOCT can gain about 12.7% before its cap and PJAN about 2.4%, so DOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, DOCT or PJAN?
DOCT ends its outcome period on Oct 15, 2027 and PJAN on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, DOCT or PJAN?
DOCT charges 0.85% a year and PJAN charges 0.79%, so PJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Sources and dates

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

ETFIQ calculates every number 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 number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, DOCT against PJAN, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/doct-vs-pjan

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