PBJA vs QBSF: which one stands where?
As of Oct 1, 2026 PBJA can fall 7.0% before its buffer engages and QBSF 0.2%. PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - January and AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 ETF - Jan.
PBJA: reference +11.8% since period start, fund +7.0%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +10.4%; At its cap.
QBSF: reference 0.0% since period start, fund 0.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +2.9%; Between buffer and cap.
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 →
PBJA is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.
Where each one stands today
PBJA resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 92 days from now; QBSF runs to Dec 31, 2026, 92 days. PBJA can still gain 2.7% before its cap, QBSF 2.7%. A fall from here reaches PBJA’s buffer after 7.0% and QBSF’s after 0.2%. Both track SPY, 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 | PBJA | QBSF | PBJA | QBSF |
| 3 months | +2.3% | +1.9% | −0.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
| 6 months | +8.1% | +4.8% | −8.9 pts | −12.2 pts |
| 1 year | +9.7% | +7.2% | −6.0 pts | −8.5 pts |
PBJA and QBSF over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
PBJA and QBSF on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PBJA in plain words
SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +10.4% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.7% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 7.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY can fall 10.6% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 92 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
QBSF in plain words
From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.2% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, SPY 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 SPY level.
Questions people ask
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.
ETFIQ, PBJA against QBSF, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pbja-vs-qbsf
Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, PBJA against QBSF, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pbja-vs-qbsf Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
Other forms
- Plain
- ETFIQ, PBJA against QBSF, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pbja-vs-qbsf
- APA
- ETFIQ. (Oct 1, 2026). PBJA against QBSF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pbja-vs-qbsf
- Markdown
- [PBJA against QBSF (ETFIQ, Oct 1, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pbja-vs-qbsf)