Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

EALT vs OCTU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 EALT can fall 5.6% before its buffer engages and OCTU 1.0%, and EALT resets 273 days sooner.

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Net assets: $189m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity 5 to 15 Buffer ETF - Quarterly, and $60m on Nov 3, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Oct.

At a glance
5.6%
EALT can fall this far before its buffer
1.0%
OCTU can fall this far before its buffer
6.4%
EALT can still gain
uncapped
OCTU can still gain
EALT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capEALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.10 pts of buffer+6.5% to cap−15.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+7.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+0.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.5%Between buffer and capEALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.10 pts−15.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+7.0% capfirst 5 pts are yours to lose+0.5% gain captured+6.5% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.5%

EALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

EALT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.5%; buffer −5 to −15; cap +7.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
OCTU No cap
No capOCTU: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer−15.0% floor0% period startno cap+0.5% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +0.5%No capOCTU: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% startno cap+0.5% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +0.5%

OCTU: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

OCTU: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

EALT costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.1 points; EALT is 3.1 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

EALT vs OCTU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureEALTOCTU
Return
Total return, 1 year+5.0%+9.1%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer5.5%0.5%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.69%0.74%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$187m$60m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · OCTU scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score38.7EALT83.2OCTU

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

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

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: EALT vs OCTU: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowEALTOCTUEALTOCTU
3 months0.0%−1.1%+0.4 pts−0.7 pts
6 months+3.9%+2.8%−0.6 pts−1.7 pts
1 year+5.0%+9.1%−8.6 pts−4.5 pts
3 years+40.9%–−35.5 pts–
Since launchNot the same days: EALT Oct 2023 · OCTU Oct 2024+43.3%+24.2%−36.1 pts−10.7 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. – means no data for this window. Open this comparison in the app →

Side by side

EALT Innovator U.S. Equity 5 to 15 Buffer ETF - Quarterly · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 15.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 7.0%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026 OCTU AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 5% to 15% 15%
Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Days left 57 330
Starting cap +7.0% uncapped
Can still gain 6.4% uncapped
Fall before buffer 5.6% 1.0%
Protection left, index points 10.0% of 10.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +0.5% +0.5%
Fund return this period +0.5% +0.3%
State today Open Uncapped
Expense ratio 0.69% 0.74%
Net assets, EALT as of Nov 4, 2026 and OCTU as of Nov 3, 2026 $189m $60m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

They do not reset together. EALT has 57 days of its period left and OCTU has 330, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

EALT resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; OCTU runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. A fall from here reaches EALT’s buffer after 5.6% and OCTU’s after 1.0%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

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About each fund
EALT

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 6.4% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 5.5% 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. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

OCTU

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 1.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.5% 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. 330 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and new terms are set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, EALT or OCTU?
EALT ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and OCTU on Sep 30, 2027. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, EALT or OCTU?
EALT charges 0.69% a year and OCTU charges 0.74%, so EALT 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, EALT against OCTU, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ealt-vs-octu

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