Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF
$20.200.00 (0.00%)
- 0.79%
- $75M
- 0M sh
- $20.22
- low $18.54high $20.24
The ETF.net DDFJ Grade
C
Score 40 out of 100
- 16 of 19
Score 40 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.C50 out of 100Rank 1 of 19Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.F21 out of 100Rank 17 of 17Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.D34 out of 100Rank 15 of 19Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B62 out of 100Rank 8 of 19
Our read on DDFJ
CA buffered fund with a twist. Over each one-year outcome period, DDFJ aims to turn modest S&P 500 declines into positive returns, holds a 15% buffer beneath that, and caps the upside.
The Fund seeks positive returns when its reference asset rises and in certain declines, while applying an upside cap, inverse-performance threshold, and loss protection during each annual outcome period.
Why people hold it
- The dual directional part: if the reference S&P 500 ETF ends the outcome period down but above the inverse threshold, the fund aims to deliver that decline as a gain.innovatoretfs.com
- Past that threshold, protection takes over. Fund documents set a 15 percentage point buffer against reference declines across the annual outcome period.innovatoretfs.com
- The January-start entry in Innovator's dated dual directional lineup, launched in 2026, with terms that reset on the calendar year.
- Fee is 0.79%, the same as every other dual directional buffer fund in its group, including DDSQ, DDFN and DDFD.
Worth knowing
- The price of the downside math is a ceiling: upside is capped at a level struck when each outcome period begins, so a big rally leaves money on the table.innovatoretfs.com
- Buffer, cap and threshold are calibrated to the full outcome period. Enter mid-period or exit early and the terms you actually get will differ from the stated ones.innovatoretfs.com
- It trades lightly, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than on plain index funds.
DDFJ Holdings
- Stocks
- 4
- 109%
- Spy 12/31/2026 6.89 C
Sectors
- Technology40.1%
- Financials11.3%
- Communication9.9%
- Health Care9.4%
- Consumer Discretionary8.7%
- Industrials7.6%
- Consumer Staples4.4%
- Energy3.4%
- Utilities1.9%
- Real Estate1.7%
- Materials1.6%
DDFJ Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
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DDFJ$10,181
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | DDFJ |
|---|---|
| Year to date | — |
| 1 month | +0.6% |
| 3 months | +1.8% |
| 1 year | — |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | DDFJ |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +6.3% |
DDFJ in the news
DDFJ Dividends
Listed Jan 2026. No distributions yet.
DDFJ Risk
- —
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- —
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- —
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.31
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
DDFJ Cost
0.79%
DDFJ0.79%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Dual Directional funds
- Median 0.79%
No S&P 500 Dual Directional fund charges less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Dual Directional
- CDLMYFirst Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Vest U.S. Equity Dual Directional Buffer ETF - MayExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return —
- CDDSQInnovator Equity Dual Directional 5 Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return —
- CDDFDInnovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - DecemberExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return —
- CDDFFInnovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return —
- CDDFNInnovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETF - NovemberExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return —