Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

PJUL vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Oct 28, 2026 PJUL can fall 3.0% before its buffer engages and POCT 1.1%, and PJUL resets 92 days sooner.

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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $1.3bn for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Jul and $1.1bn for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Oct.

At a glance
3.0%
PJUL can fall this far before its buffer
1.1%
POCT can fall this far before its buffer
10.7%
PJUL can still gain
14.4%
POCT can still gain
PJUL Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPJUL: reference +3.3% since period start, fund +2.8%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.15 pts of buffer+3.3%+10.6% more to the cap−15.0% floor0% period start+14.0% capTODAY · SPY +3.3%Between buffer and capPJUL: reference +3.3% since period start, fund +2.8%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.15 pts−15.0% floor0% start+14.0% cap+3.3% gain captured+10.6% more to the capTODAY · SPY +3.3%

PJUL: reference +3.3% since period start, fund +2.8%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

PJUL: reference +3.3% since period start, fund +2.8%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +14.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.
POCT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +1.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.15 pts of buffer+14.4% more to the cap−15.0% floor0% period start+15.6% cap+1.2% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +1.2%Between buffer and capPOCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +1.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.15 pts+14.4% to cap−15.0% floor0% start+15.6% cap+1.2% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +1.2%

POCT: reference +1.2% since period start, fund +1.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.79% a year; their one-year returns differ by 1.8 points; PJUL is 1.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

PJUL vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasurePJULPOCT
Return
Total return, 1 year+8.9%+10.7%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer3.2%1.2%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.79%0.79%
Net assets$1.3bn$1.1bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · PJUL and POCT score the same If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score86.1PJUL86.1POCT

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

0.2, the lowest in this set 99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 292 buffer ETFs on stocks with a live outcome period. 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

Oct 12, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 419 weekly returns · each against SPY
PJUL POCT
Return
Total return edge Tie +101.5% +102.1%
Annualized edge Tie +9.1% +9.1%
Price return edge PJUL (slight) +99.8% +97.7%
Risk
Volatility edge Tie 8.9% 8.9%
Max drawdown edge PJUL (slight) −16.4% −17.6%
Downside capture 53.7% 49.7%
Beta 0.46 0.46
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge Tie 0.70 0.71
Sortino edge Tie 1.02 1.02
Treynor 0.136 0.137
Calmar edge PJUL (slight) 0.55 0.52
Against the benchmark
Alpha +0.3% a year +0.4% a year
Alpha t-stat 0.29 0.36
Information ratio −0.65 −0.64
Tracking error 10.2% 10.3%
Reading

PJUL and POCT returned about the same: +101.5% and +102.1%. PJUL and POCT swung about the same: 8.9% and 8.9%. PJUL fell slightly less at its worst: −16.4% to −17.6%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: PJUL vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasurePJULPOCTSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+101.5%+102.1%TiePrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+9.1%+9.1%TieTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+99.8%+97.7%PJUL (slight)Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility8.9%8.9%TieSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation6.1%6.2%TieLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−16.4%−17.6%PJUL (slight)Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture35.7%33.1%100.0%PJUL (slight)Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture53.7%49.7%100.0%POCT (slight)Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.460.461.00TieHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.900.891.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.700.71TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.021.02TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1360.1370.129TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.550.52PJUL (slight)Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha+0.3% a year+0.4% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat0.290.36Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−1.7% to +2.3%−1.7% to +2.4%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.65−0.64TieReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error10.2%10.3%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, 419 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Window by window

Window by window: PJUL vs POCT: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowPJULPOCTPJULPOCT
3 months+3.6%+4.6%−2.3 pts−1.3 pts
6 months+4.9%+6.8%−3.7 pts−1.7 pts
1 year+8.9%+10.7%−3.5 pts−1.7 pts
3 years+52.0%+45.4%−36.0 pts−42.7 pts
Since launchNot the same days: PJUL Aug 2018 · POCT Oct 2018+101.2%+100.9%−69.4 pts−63.8 pts

Each fund's gap is to its reference's price return, dividends left out: the basis the outcome period uses. Open this comparison in the app →

Side by side

PJUL Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Jul · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 14.0%, over a period ending Jun 30, 2027 POCT Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Oct · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 15.6%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 15%
Outcome period Jun 30, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027 Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Days left 245 337
Starting cap +14.0% +15.6%
Can still gain 10.7% 14.4%
Fall before buffer 3.0% 1.1%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 15.0% of 15.0%
Index return this period +3.3% +1.2%
Fund return this period +2.8% +1.0%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.79%
Net assets $1.3bn $1.1bn

As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

They do not reset together. PJUL has 245 days of its period left and POCT has 337, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Both are Innovator funds, so the difference between them is the terms rather than the house.

Where each one stands today

PJUL resets first, on Jun 30, 2027, 245 days from now; POCT runs to Sep 30, 2027, 337 days. PJUL can still gain 10.7% before its cap, POCT 14.4%. A fall from here reaches PJUL’s buffer after 3.0% and POCT’s after 1.1%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-D1C45B9668

PJUL and POCT are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Protection and cap. PJUL: Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 14.0%, over a period ending Jun 30, 2027. POCT: Absorbs the first 15% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 15.6%, over a period ending Sep 30, 2027. The starting caps are 1.6 points apart.
  2. Outcome period. PJUL runs Jun 30, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027 with 245 days left; POCT runs Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 with 337 days left.
  3. What each follows (similar). Both follow SPY.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
PJUL

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 10.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 3.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 3.2% 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. 245 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Jun 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

POCT

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 14.4% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 1.2% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. 337 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, PJUL or POCT?
From their prices on Oct 28, 2026, PJUL can gain about 10.7% before its cap and POCT about 14.4%, so POCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, PJUL or POCT?
PJUL ends its outcome period on Jun 30, 2027 and POCT on Sep 30, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, PJUL or POCT?
PJUL and POCT both charge 0.79% a year, so neither 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.

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ETFIQ, PJUL against POCT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pjul-vs-poct

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