Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
PQOC vs QBUF: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
As of Nov 4, 2026 PQOC can fall 0.0% before its buffer engages and QBUF 0.0%, and QBUF resets 273 days sooner.
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Net assets on Nov 4, 2026: $29m for PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - October and $199m for Innovator Nasdaq-100 10 Buffer ETF - Quarterly.
PQOC: reference −6.5% since period start, fund −3.6%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +21.4%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
PQOC: reference −6.5% since period start, fund −3.6%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +21.4%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.QBUF: reference −6.5% since period start, fund −1.9%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +4.7%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QBUF: reference −6.5% since period start, fund −1.9%; buffer 0 to −10; cap +4.7%; Buffer working. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
PQOC costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.3 points; QBUF is 6.9 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | PQOC | QBUF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +10.3% | +4.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | QQQ | QQQ |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.50% | 0.79% |
| Net assets | $29m | $199m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
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
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 →
Window by window
| Total return | Gap to the reference's price return | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | PQOC | QBUF | PQOC | QBUF |
| 3 months | −1.1% | −1.8% | +2.4 pts | +1.8 pts |
| 6 months | +2.1% | −0.8% | +2.7 pts | −0.2 pts |
| 1 year | +10.3% | +4.0% | −1.5 pts | −7.7 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: PQOC Jan 2025 · QBUF Jul 2024 | +25.1% | +21.4% | −10.5 pts | −22.2 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
As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
They do not reset together. QBUF has 57 days of its period left and PQOC has 330, so the two are not the same bet on the same months.
Where each one stands today
QBUF resets first, on Dec 31, 2026, 57 days from now; PQOC runs to Sep 30, 2027, 330 days. PQOC can still gain 25.4% before its cap, QBUF 6.7%. A fall from here reaches PQOC’s buffer after 0.0% and QBUF’s after 0.0%. Both track QQQ, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.
PQOC
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 25.4% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 5.5% of the 12.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 330 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
QBUF
From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 6.7% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 3.5% of the 10.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 57 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 31, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.
Questions people ask
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, PQOC against QBUF, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pqoc-vs-qbuf
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). PQOC against QBUF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pqoc-vs-qbuf
[PQOC against QBUF (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/pqoc-vs-qbuf)
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