Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

JANU vs PJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 PJAN can fall 8.9% before its buffer engages and JANU 8.4%.

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Net assets: $77m on Nov 3, 2026 for AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Jan, and $1.4bn on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Jan.

At a glance
8.4%
JANU can fall this far before its buffer
8.9%
PJAN can fall this far before its buffer
uncapped
JANU can still gain
2.4%
PJAN can still gain
JANU No cap
No capJANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+12.4% gained, no cap−15.0% floor0% period startno capTODAY · SPY +12.4%No capJANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% startno cap+12.4% gained, no capTODAY · SPY +12.4%

JANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

JANU: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PJAN At its cap
At its capPJAN: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +9.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+12.3% gain captured−15.0% floor0% period start+12.3% capTODAY · SPY +12.4%At its capPJAN: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +9.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts+12.3%−15.0% floor0% start+12.3% capTODAY · SPY +12.4%

PJAN: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +9.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +12.3%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

JANU costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.0 points; PJAN is 18.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

JANU vs PJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureJANUPJAN
Return
Total return, 1 year+9.2%+11.2%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer11.1%11.0%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.74%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$77m$1.4bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · JANU scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score52.9JANU50PJAN

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

Risk and return

Jan 10, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 94 weekly returns · each against SPY
JANU PJAN
Return
Total return edge Tie +21.0% +20.8%
Annualized edge Tie +11.1% +11.0%
Price return edge Tie +21.0% +20.8%
Risk
Volatility edge PJAN 10.4% 7.5%
Max drawdown edge PJAN −10.3% −9.1%
Downside capture 81.4% 49.1%
Beta 0.67 0.48
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge PJAN 0.68 0.90
Sortino edge PJAN 1.03 1.32
Treynor 0.106 0.139
Calmar edge PJAN 1.07 1.21
Against the benchmark
Alpha −1.5% a year +0.5% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.81 0.38
Information ratio −1.03 −0.76
Tracking error 5.6% 8.0%
Reading

From Jan 2025 to Oct 2026, JANU and PJAN returned about the same: +21.0% and +20.8%. PJAN swung less: 7.5% to 10.4%. PJAN fell less at its worst: −9.1% to −10.3%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: JANU vs PJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureJANUPJANSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+21.0%+20.8%TiePrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+11.1%+11.0%TieTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+21.0%+20.8%TiePrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility10.4%7.5%PJANSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation6.9%5.1%PJANLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−10.3%−9.1%PJANDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture63.4%38.2%100.0%JANUShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture81.4%49.1%100.0%PJANShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.670.481.00PJAN lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.940.941.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.680.90PJANReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.031.32PJANReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1060.1390.128PJANReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar1.071.21PJANAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−1.5% a year+0.5% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.810.38Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−5.2% to +2.2%−2.2% to +3.2%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−1.03−0.76PJANReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error5.6%8.0%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 94 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: JANU vs PJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowJANUPJANJANUPJAN
3 months−1.3%+1.7%−0.9 pts+2.1 pts
6 months+2.3%+4.8%−2.2 pts+0.3 pts
1 year+9.2%+11.2%−4.4 pts−2.4 pts
3 years–+44.9%–−31.5 pts
Since launchNot the same days: JANU Jan 2025 · PJAN Jan 2019+21.9%+102.5%−9.3 pts−104.0 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

JANU AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Jan · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and does not cap the gain, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026 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 15% 15%
Outcome period Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026 Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 57 57
Starting cap uncapped +12.3%
Can still gain uncapped 2.4%
Fall before buffer 8.4% 8.9%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +12.4% +12.4%
Fund return this period +8.3% +9.0%
State today Uncapped At cap
Expense ratio 0.74% 0.79%
Net assets, JANU as of Nov 3, 2026 and PJAN as of Nov 4, 2026 $77m $1.4bn

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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

Where each one stands today

JANU resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; PJAN runs to Dec 31, 2026, 57 days. A fall from here reaches JANU’s buffer after 8.4% and PJAN’s after 8.9%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief:

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About each fund
JANU

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in SPY. The fund's price can fall 8.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 11.1% 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. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and new terms are set.

PJAN

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.3% for the period on Nov 4, 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 11.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which resets first, JANU or PJAN?
JANU ends its outcome period on Dec 31, 2026 and PJAN on Dec 31, 2026. New terms are set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, JANU or PJAN?
JANU charges 0.74% a year and PJAN charges 0.79%, so JANU 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, JANU against PJAN, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/janu-vs-pjan

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.