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POCT vs PSMO

Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF

POCTCCboe

Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF

PSMOBCboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

PSMO −0.30pt a year

POCT0.79%PSMO0.49%

Avg volume · 30D

POCT 14.7×the volume

POCT107KPSMO7.3K

5Y return · a year

Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.

POCT+9.7%PSMO+9.7%

POCT vs PSMO Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+58.7%POCT+59.2%PSMO

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. POCT +58.7%. PSMO +59.2%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%10%20%30%40%Oct 2021May 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
POCT 0.79%
PSMO 0.49%, better
Fund size
POCT $1.13B
PSMO $116M
1Y total return
POCT +10.0%
PSMO +10.0%
Yield (12M)
POCT 0.00%
PSMO No data
Holdings
POCT 503
PSMO 3
Avg volume (30D)
POCT 107K sh, better
PSMO 7.3K sh
NAV per share
POCT $47.73
PSMO $33.50
52W range

ETF.net Grade

POCT: Cost 35, Risk 54, Mission 92, Tradability 64, Holdings 90, Durability 88. PSMO: Cost 70, Risk 54, Mission 95, Tradability 64, Holdings not scored, Durability 66.
Pillar letters and Scores for POCT, PSMO, with each pillar’s weight
PillarPOCTPSMO
Cost30% weightD35A70Higher
Mission25% weightA92A95Higher
Risk15% weightC54C54
Tradability15% weightB64B64
Holdings10% weightA90Not scored
Durability5% weightA88HigherB66

Rank among S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. POCT and PSMO are both graded against the same 51 S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

S&P 500 Buffer 15%⁠

Category · 51 funds
See all 51 ›

PSMO ranks 1st and POCT 4th of 51 funds in the S&P 500 Buffer 15% Category.

  1. Rank 1BPSMOPacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETFScore 64
  2. Rank 2BPSMJPacer Swan SOS Moderate (July) ETFScore 59
  3. Rank 4BBUFCAB Conservative Buffer ETFScore 55
  4. Rank 4CPOCTInnovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETFScore 55
  5. Rank 6BPSEPInnovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETFScore 54

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

POCTCInnovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF

PSMOBPacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF

In short

POCT October's slot in Innovator's Power Buffer lineup: S&P 500 exposure with the first 15% of a drop absorbed, in exchange for an upside cap set fresh each October 1. Same machinery as its sibling months, different start date.

PSMO A 15% cushion against SPY's first losses, reset every October, for 0.49% a year. Most defined-outcome funds charge more, and the trade is a cap on the upside that gets set fresh at the start of each period.

Stated mandate

POCT The Fund seeks to track the return of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), subject to a predetermined cap, while protecting against the first 15% of losses during the outcome period.

PSMO The fund seeks to track the returns of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust up to a stated cap while buffering the first 15% of losses during an approximately one-year outcome period.

Why people hold it

  • POCT Absorbs the first 15% of a one-year decline in the S&P 500 tracker it references (before fees), then resets every October 1 and can be held indefinitely.innovatoretfs.com
  • FLEX options do the work inside a plain 1940 Act ETF: exchange-traded, no K-1, none of the bank credit risk that comes with a structured note.innovatoretfs.com
  • Sits in the upper tier of the buffer funds we track, helped by trading that holds up well for an options-based product and a fee in line with the category.
  • Running since 2018 with a full set of monthly siblings behind it, plus a laddered version (BUFF) that spreads across start months instead of picking one.
  • PSMO Charges 0.49% a year versus a 0.79% median across its 15%-buffer peer group, one of the lower-cost ways to own this structure.
  • Pacer's moderate SOS funds (PSMD, PSMR, PSMJ) all price at 0.49%, while the Innovator power-buffer lineup (POCT, PJUL, PJAN) runs 0.79%.
  • The reference asset is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust itself, not an abstract index, so what's being buffered is a fund you can watch tick by tick.paceretfs.com

Worth knowing

  • POCT The cap is set on the first day of each October period and depends on conditions then. Gains above it don't accrue, and the 0.79% fee trims both cap and buffer.innovatoretfs.com
  • Buy mid-period and you inherit whatever buffer and cap remain, not the headline terms. The outcomes are engineered for a full October-to-October hold.innovatoretfs.com
  • Exposure comes through options rather than shares, so index dividends don't show up as income; the fund isn't built as a payer.innovatoretfs.com
  • PSMO Buffer and cap are engineered for the full one-year outcome period running October through September. Buy or sell mid-period and you may get neither in full.paceretfs.com
  • Upside stops at a cap reset each October. A runaway rally in the S&P 500 is the scenario this structure hands back in exchange for the 15% cushion.paceretfs.com
  • One of the quieter tickers in the buffer aisle, so spreads and order type matter more here than with the category's household names.

Full POCT profile⁠

Full PSMO profile⁠

POCT vs PSMO Holdings

As of
How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

POCT vs PSMO Cost

Overpaying POCT vs PSMO

$5,382

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • POCT 0.79%

    $15,174

  • PSMO 0.49%

    $9,792

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • POCT 0.79%
  • PSMO 0.49%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530POCT $15,174PSMO $9,792

Year by year

YearPOCTPSMOOverpaying
10$1,405$883$522
20$5,331$3,394$1,937
30$15,174$9,792$5,382

Expense ratio

  • 0.79%POCT
  • 0.49%PSMO, cheaper
  • Middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds
  • Median 0.79%

PSMO 5th cheapest of 51 funds

POCT 24th cheapest of 51 funds

POCT vs PSMO Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
POCT 0.00%
PSMO No data
Payout (12M)
POCT None
PSMO None

Distribution history

Per share, 2019, same scale for both

POCT1 paymentAll POCT payments⁠
One bar per payment. 1 payment in 2019. Nov 19, 2019 $0.56. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502019
PSMOAll PSMO payments⁠

No distribution history available.

POCT vs PSMO Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • POCT
  • PSMO
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: POCT −10.2% · Apr 2025. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−8%−6%−4%−2%0%Oct 2021May 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
POCT 5.8%, betterPSMO 5.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
POCT 1.30PSMO 1.31, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
POCT −10.2%PSMO −9.8%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
POCT 0.40PSMO 0.41

POCT and PSMO in the news

All news⁠

Popular comparisons

  • POCTCvsPSMJB

    Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF · Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (July) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.79% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • PSMOBvsPSMJB

    Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF · Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (July) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.49% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • POCTCvsPSMRB

    Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF · Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (April) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.79% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • PSMOBvsPSMRB

    Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF · Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (April) ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.49% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • POCTCvsBUFCB

    Innovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETF · AB Conservative Buffer ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.79% · 0.69%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • PSMOBvsBUFCB

    Pacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETF · AB Conservative Buffer ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.49% · 0.69%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.