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Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

POCT vs PQX: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 POCT can fall 0.8% before its buffer engages and PQX 0.8%, and PQX resets 273 days sooner.

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Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $1.1bn for Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF - Oct and $8.7m for PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 10 ETF.

POCT on its own →PQX on its own →
At a glance
0.8%
POCT can fall this far before its buffer
0.8%
PQX can fall this far before its buffer
14.7%
POCT can still gain
2.7%
PQX can still gain
POCT Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPOCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts of buffer+15.1% more to the cap−15.0% floor0% period start+15.6% cap+0.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.5%Between buffer and capPOCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.15 pts+15.1% to cap−15.0% floor0% start+15.6% cap+0.5% gain capturedTODAY · SPY +0.5%

POCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

POCT: reference +0.5% since period start, fund +0.7%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.6%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PQX Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capPQX: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.10 pts of buffer−10.0% floor0% period start+3.5% cap+0.6% gain captured+2.9% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.6%Between buffer and capPQX: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.10 pts−10.0% floor0% start+3.5% cap+0.6% gain captured+2.9% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.6%

PQX: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PQX: reference +0.6% since period start, fund +0.6%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +3.5%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PQX costs 0.29 points a year less; POCT is far larger, $1.1bn against $8.7m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

POCT vs PQX: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasurePOCTPQX
Return
Total return, 1 year+11.3%not published
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer0.5%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.79%0.50%
Net assets$1.1bn$8.7m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · POCT scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score83.2POCT38.7PQX

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

Window by window

Window by window: POCT vs PQX: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowPOCTPQXPOCTPQX
3 months+2.2%+0.9%+2.6 pts+1.3 pts
6 months+5.3%–+0.8 pts–
1 year+11.3%–−2.3 pts–
3 years+40.0%–−36.4 pts–
Since launchNot the same days: POCT Oct 2018 · PQX Jul 2026+100.3%+2.5%−62.5 pts−0.3 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

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 PQX PGIM S&P 500 Quarterly Buffer 10 ETF · Absorbs the first 10% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 3.5%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Issuer Innovator PGIM
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 15% 10%
Outcome period Sep 30, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027 Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 330 57
Starting cap +15.6% +3.5%
Can still gain 14.7% 2.7%
Fall before buffer 0.8% 0.8%
Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 10.0% of 10.0%
Index return this period +0.5% +0.6%
Fund return this period +0.7% +0.6%
State today Open Open
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.50%
Net assets $1.1bn $8.7m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

They do not reset together. PQX has 57 days of its period left and POCT has 330, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.

Where each one stands today

PQX resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; POCT runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. POCT can still gain 14.7% before its cap, PQX 2.7%. A fall from here reaches POCT’s buffer after 0.8% and PQX’s after 0.8%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

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About each fund
POCT

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 14.7% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 0.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.5% 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. 330 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

PQX

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.7% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 10.0% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, POCT or PQX?
From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, POCT can gain about 14.7% before its cap and PQX about 2.7%, so POCT has more room left this period.
Which resets first, POCT or PQX?
POCT ends its outcome period on Sep 30, 2027 and PQX on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, POCT or PQX?
POCT charges 0.79% a year and PQX charges 0.50%, so PQX is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
POCT vs DOCTPOCT vs DJANPOCT vs BSEPPOCT vs DJULPQX vs FDECPQX vs PJANPQX vs BALTPQX vs XDEC
Where to next
SPY →POCT on its own →PQX on its own →Method →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
POCT filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
Innovator page for POCT ↗
PQX filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
PGIM website ↗

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, POCT against PQX, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/poct-vs-pqx

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