Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Buffer ETFs

SQMX vs UJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left

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As of Nov 4, 2026 UJAN can fall 12.9% before its buffer engages and SQMX 1.0%, and SQMX resets 13 days sooner.

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Net assets: $55m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly Max Buffer ETF, and $252m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Jan.

At a glance
1.0%
SQMX can fall this far before its buffer
12.9%
UJAN can fall this far before its buffer
2.0%
SQMX can still gain
2.2%
UJAN can still gain
SQMX Between buffer and cap
Between buffer and capSQMX: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +3.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.12.5 pts of buffer−12.5% floor0% period start+3.0% cap+0.7% gain captured+2.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.7%Between buffer and capSQMX: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +3.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.−12.5% floor0% start+3.0% cap12.5 pts of buffer+0.7% gain captured+2.3% more to the capTODAY · SPY +0.7%

SQMX: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +3.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SQMX: reference +0.7% since period start, fund +0.8%; buffer 0 to −12; cap +3.0%; Between buffer and cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
UJAN At its cap
At its capUJAN: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.30 pts of buffer+11.4% gain captured−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% period start+11.4% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +12.4%At its capUJAN: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.30 pts of buffer+11.4%−35.0% floor−5.0% buffer start0% start+11.4% capfirst 5 pts are yours to loseTODAY · SPY +12.4%

UJAN: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

UJAN: reference +12.4% since period start, fund +8.3%; buffer −5 to −35; cap +11.4%; At its cap. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

UJAN costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.6 points; UJAN is 4.5 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

SQMX vs UJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
MeasureSQMXUJAN
Return
Total return, 1 year+6.8%+10.4%
Drawdown
Index fall to the buffer0.7%15.5%
Benchmark
What it tracksSPYSPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.85%0.79%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$55m$250m
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · SQMX scores higher If the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?
IQ Buffer Score63SQMX8.7UJAN

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: SQMX vs UJAN: Cap, Buffer & Days Left
Total returnGap to the reference's price return
WindowSQMXUJANSQMXUJAN
3 months+1.2%+1.9%+1.6 pts+2.2 pts
6 months+3.3%+4.4%−1.2 pts−0.1 pts
1 year+6.8%+10.4%−6.8 pts−3.2 pts
3 years–+41.1%–−35.3 pts
Since launchNot the same days: SQMX Dec 2024 · UJAN Jan 2019+13.7%+85.5%−15.2 pts−121.0 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

SQMX FT Vest U.S. Equity Quarterly Max Buffer ETF · Absorbs the first 12% of loss on SPY and caps the gain at 3.0%, over a period ending Dec 18, 2026 UJAN Innovator U.S. Equity Ultra Buffer ETF - Jan · Absorbs losses from 5.0% to 35.0% on SPY and caps the gain at 11.4%, over a period ending Dec 31, 2026
Reference index SPY SPY
Buffer 12% 5% to 35%
Outcome period Sep 21, 2026 to Dec 18, 2026 Dec 31, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026
Days left 44 57
Starting cap +3.0% +11.4%
Can still gain 2.0% 2.2%
Fall before buffer 1.0% 12.9%
Protection left, index points 12.5% of 12.5% 30.0% of 30.0%
Index return this period +0.7% +12.4%
Fund return this period +0.8% +8.3%
State today Open At cap
Expense ratio 0.85% 0.79%
Net assets, SQMX as of Nov 3, 2026 and UJAN as of Nov 4, 2026 $55m $252m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

UJAN is already at its cap, so more rise in the index adds nothing to it before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

SQMX resets first, on Dec 18, 2026, 44 days from now; UJAN runs to Dec 31, 2026, 57 days. SQMX can still gain 2.0% before its cap, UJAN 2.2%. A fall from here reaches SQMX’s buffer after 1.0% and UJAN’s after 12.9%. Both track SPY, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

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About each fund
SQMX

From its price on Nov 4, 2026, the fund can gain about 2.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 1.0% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 0.7% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 12.5% of the 12.5% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 44 days remained on Nov 4, 2026. On Dec 18, 2026 the period ends and a new cap is set.

UJAN

SPY had already risen past this fund's cap of +11.4% for the period on Nov 4, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.2% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 12.9% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 15.5% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 30.0% of the 30.0% 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, SQMX or UJAN?
From their prices on Nov 4, 2026, SQMX can gain about 2.0% before its cap and UJAN about 2.2%, so UJAN has more room left this period.
Which resets first, SQMX or UJAN?
SQMX ends its outcome period on Dec 18, 2026 and UJAN on Dec 31, 2026. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, SQMX or UJAN?
SQMX charges 0.85% a year and UJAN charges 0.79%, so UJAN 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, SQMX against UJAN, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/sqmx-vs-ujan

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