Which has more room to gain, KJUN or SMAY?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, KJUN can gain about 20.0% before its cap and SMAY about 16.2%, so KJUN has more room left this period.

Which resets first, KJUN or SMAY?

KJUN ends its outcome period on May 31, 2027 and SMAY on May 21, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, KJUN or SMAY?

KJUN charges 0.79% a year and SMAY charges 0.90%, so KJUN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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KJUN vs SMAY: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 SMAY can fall 2.6% before its buffer engages and KJUN 0.0%, and SMAY resets 10 days sooner. Innovator U.S. Small Cap Power Buffer ETF - Jun and FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - May.

0.0%

KJUN can fall this far before its buffer

2.6%

SMAY can fall this far before its buffer

20.0%

KJUN can still gain

16.2%

SMAY can still gain

KJUNBuffer working

KJUN: reference −4.3% since period start, fund −0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +19.5%; Buffer working.

SMAYBetween buffer and cap

SMAY: reference +0.1% since period start, fund +1.8%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +19.1%; Between buffer and cap.

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

KJUN 46.9

SMAY 83.8

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

SMAY resets first, on May 21, 2027, 233 days from now; KJUN runs to May 31, 2027, 243 days. KJUN can still gain 20.0% before its cap, SMAY 16.2%. A fall from here reaches KJUN’s buffer after 0.0% and SMAY’s after 2.6%. Both track IWM, 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	KJUN	SMAY	KJUN	SMAY
3 months	−2.8%	−2.3%	+4.2 pts	+4.6 pts
6 months	+2.1%	+4.9%	−9.8 pts	−7.0 pts
1 year	+6.1%	+9.3%	−9.9 pts	−6.7 pts
3 years	not published	+36.1%	not published	−26.4 pts

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

On the same fields

KJUN

Innovator U.S. Small Cap Power Buffer ETF - Jun · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on IWM and caps the gain at 19.5%, over a period ending May 31, 2027

SMAY

FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - May · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on IWM and caps the gain at 19.1%, over a period ending May 21, 2027

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index IWM IWM

Buffer 15% 15%

Outcome period May 31, 2026 to May 31, 2027 May 18, 2026 to May 21, 2027

Days left 243 233

Starting cap +19.5% +19.1%

Can still gain 20.0% 16.2%

Fall before buffer 0.0% 2.6%

Protection left, index points 10.7% of 15.0% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period −4.3% +0.1%

Fund return this period −0.7% +1.8%

State today Buffer working Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.90%

Net assets $57m $111m

KJUN and SMAY on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

KJUN in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 20.0% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 10.7% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's IWM level. 243 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On May 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

SMAY in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 16.2% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, IWM can fall 0.1% 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 IWM level. 233 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On May 21, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, KJUN or SMAY?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, KJUN can gain about 20.0% before its cap and SMAY about 16.2%, so KJUN has more room left this period.
Which resets first, KJUN or SMAY?: KJUN ends its outcome period on May 31, 2027 and SMAY on May 21, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, KJUN or SMAY?: KJUN charges 0.79% a year and SMAY charges 0.90%, so KJUN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

KJUN vs SCJN SMAY vs SCJN

IWM →KJUN on its own →SMAY on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

KJUN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for KJUN ↗SMAY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for SMAY ↗

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, KJUN against SMAY, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/kjun-vs-smay

Open data

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