Which has more room to gain, IOCT or YSEP?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, IOCT can gain about 19.2% before its cap and YSEP about 15.5%, so IOCT has more room left this period.

Which resets first, IOCT or YSEP?

IOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and YSEP on Sep 17, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, IOCT or YSEP?

IOCT charges 0.85% a year and YSEP charges 0.90%, so IOCT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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IOCT vs YSEP: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 YSEP can fall 0.5% before its buffer engages and IOCT 0.0%, and YSEP resets 13 days sooner. Innovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETF - Oct and FT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - September.

0.0%

IOCT can fall this far before its buffer

0.5%

YSEP can fall this far before its buffer

19.2%

IOCT can still gain

15.5%

YSEP can still gain

IOCTBetween buffer and cap

IOCT: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +19.2%; Between buffer and cap.

YSEPBuffer working

YSEP: reference −1.0% since period start, fund −0.5%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.9%; Buffer working.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · IOCT scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

IOCT 83.8

YSEP 69.5

0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 293 buffer ETFs with a live outcome period. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

Where each one stands today

YSEP resets first, on Sep 17, 2027, 352 days from now; IOCT runs to Sep 30, 2027, 365 days. IOCT can still gain 19.2% before its cap, YSEP 15.5%. A fall from here reaches IOCT’s buffer after 0.0% and YSEP’s after 0.5%. Both track EFA, 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	IOCT	YSEP	IOCT	YSEP
3 months	+2.3%	+3.0%	+1.5 pts	+2.1 pts
6 months	+6.7%	+7.3%	−0.3 pts	+0.3 pts
1 year	+10.5%	+11.1%	−4.5 pts	−4.0 pts
3 years	+43.9%	+47.3%	−21.8 pts	−18.3 pts

IOCT and YSEP over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

IOCT

Innovator Intl Developed Power Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on EFA and caps the gain at 19.2%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027

YSEP

FT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - September · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on EFA and caps the gain at 15.9%, over a period ending Sep 17, 2027

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index EFA EFA

Buffer 15% 15%

Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 Sep 21, 2026 to Sep 17, 2027

Days left 365 352

Starting cap +19.2% +15.9%

Can still gain 19.2% 15.5%

Fall before buffer 0.0% 0.5%

Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 14.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period 0.0% −1.0%

Fund return this period 0.0% −0.5%

State today Open Buffer working

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.90%

Net assets $168m $125m

IOCT and YSEP on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

IOCT in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 19.2% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's EFA level. 365 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

YSEP in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 15.5% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, EFA can fall 0.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 14.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's EFA level. 352 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Sep 17, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, IOCT or YSEP?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, IOCT can gain about 19.2% before its cap and YSEP about 15.5%, so IOCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, IOCT or YSEP?: IOCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and YSEP on Sep 17, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, IOCT or YSEP?: IOCT charges 0.85% a year and YSEP charges 0.90%, so IOCT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IOCT vs OCTI IOCT vs QBIF IOCT vs QBIV IOCT vs IBUF YSEP vs OCTI YSEP vs QBIF YSEP vs QBIV YSEP vs IBUF

EFA →IOCT on its own →YSEP on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

IOCT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for IOCT ↗YSEP filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for YSEP ↗

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.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, IOCT against YSEP, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/ioct-vs-ysep

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.