Which resets first, OCTI or YSEP?

OCTI 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, OCTI or YSEP?

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

OCTI vs YSEP: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 OCTI can fall 0.8% before its buffer engages and YSEP 0.5%, and YSEP resets 13 days sooner. AllianzIM International Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Oct and FT Vest International Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - September.

0.8%

OCTI can fall this far before its buffer

0.5%

YSEP can fall this far before its buffer

uncapped

OCTI can still gain

15.5%

YSEP can still gain

OCTINo cap

OCTI: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −15; no cap; No 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 · OCTI scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

OCTI 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; OCTI runs to Sep 30, 2027, 365 days. A fall from here reaches OCTI’s buffer after 0.8% 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	OCTI	YSEP	OCTI	YSEP
3 months	not published	+3.0%	not published	+2.1 pts
6 months	not published	+7.3%	not published	+0.3 pts
1 year	not published	+11.1%	not published	−4.0 pts
3 years	not published	+47.3%	not published	−18.3 pts

OCTI 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

OCTI

AllianzIM International Equity Buffer15 Uncapped ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on EFA and does not cap the gain, 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 AllianzIM First Trust

Reference index EFA EFA

Buffer 15% 15%

Outcome period Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 Sep 21, 2026 to Sep 17, 2027

Days left 365 352

Starting cap uncapped +15.9%

Can still gain uncapped 15.5%

Fall before buffer 0.8% 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 Uncapped Buffer working

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.90%

Net assets $5m $125m

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

OCTI in plain words

This fund has no cap. It takes a share of any further rise in EFA. The fund's price can fall 0.8% 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: 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. 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 resets first, OCTI or YSEP?: OCTI 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, OCTI or YSEP?: OCTI charges 0.79% a year and YSEP charges 0.90%, so OCTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

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

iShares® MSCI EAFE ETF →OCTI on its own →YSEP on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

OCTI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗AllianzIM page for OCTI ↗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, OCTI against YSEP, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/octi-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.