Innovator Expands Dual Directional ETF Lineup Following Market Demand

(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) WHEATON, Ill., Sept. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Innovator Capital Management, LLC (Innovator), the pioneer of Defined Outcome ETFsTM, builds on its track record of category-defining innovation with the September Expansion of the industry's first Dual Directional Buffer ETFsTM . These ground-breaking funds offer the potential for positive returns in both up or down equity markets over a one-year outcome period.

New ETFs:

• Innovator Equity Dual Directional 10 Buffer ETFTM – September (DDTS)
• Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETFTM – September (DDFS)

The Funds have characteristics unlike many other traditional investment products and may not be suitable for all investors. For more information regarding whether an investment in the Funds is right for you, please see "Investor Suitability" in the prospectus.

Key Features:

• Positive Return potential in up or down markets – Provide 1:1 upside when the reference asset is positive, to a cap, and provide positive returns in negative markets, up to the inverse performance threshold.
• Defined outcome structure – Investors have known upside potential and built-in buffers prior to investing.
• ETF benefits – The delivery of options strategies within an ETF wrapper provides daily liquidity, full pricing transparency, tax efficiency¹, and no credit risk².
  

With the expansion of the Dual Directional suite to monthly listings , investors gain more opportunities to invest with fresh outcome periods and adapt to evolving market conditions.

How They Work

In the case of the Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETFTM – September (DDFS), the market could finish the 12-month outcome period down 15%, and DDFS would be up 15% gross of fees and expenses. If the market finished the period down 16%, DDFS would be down just 1%.

Defined Outcome ETFsTM use options to mirror the performance of the underlying asset. Dual Directional Buffer ETFsTM build upon that innovation with an additional layer of options that enable the fund to deliver positive returns in negative markets, in exchange for capped upside return potential. Similar strategies have previously been locked behind high fees and illiquid investment vehicles, such as structured notes.

“We believe the Dual Directional ETF's unique return profile offers a revolutionary new strategy in the ETF industry,” says Graham Day, EVP, Chief Investment Officer at Innovator.“75% of all one-year S&P 500 corrections fall between 0 and -15%.³ We built Dual Directional ETFs exactly for these markets; they are the only ETFs that provide the inverse performance of the market with built-in buffers against further losses.”

Market Scenario:	Sought-After Return Profile:
Positive Market	Tracks SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust (SPY) return 1:1, up to a predetermined cap.
Negative Market	Delivers inverse SPY return 1:1, up to an inverse cap.
Very Negative Market	A built-in buffer protects against deep market declines.

Fund Overview

Ticker	Fund Name	Upside Cap	Inverse Cap	Buffer Level	Exposure	Expense Ratio
DDTS	Innovator Equity Dual Directional 10 Buffer ETFTM – September	12.65	%	10	%	10	%	SPY	0.79	%
DDFS	Innovator Equity Dual Directional 15 Buffer ETFTM – September	9.30	%	15	%	15	%	SPY	0.79	%

The upside cap, inverse cap, and buffer are shown gross of each Fund's fees and expenses.

Want to learn more?

Join us today @ 12PM EST for an exclusive webinar covering the September expansion to the Industry's 1^st Dual Directional Buffer ETFsTM: Link

Contact:
Frank Taylor / Stephanie Dressler
(646) 808-3647 / (949) 269-2535
...

About Innovator ETFs®
Innovator made history in 2018 with the world's first Buffer ETFTM, and since then has built the largest suite of Defined Outcome ETFsTM. Currently, Innovator has over 150 offerings with more than $27 billion in AUM as of July 31, 2025.

¹ ETFs use creation units, which allow for the purchase and sale of assets in the Funds collectively. Consequently, ETFs usually generate fewer capital gain distributions overall, which can make them somewhat more tax-efficient than mutual funds.

² ETFs are not backed by the faith and credit of an issuing institution, so they are not exposed to credit risk.

³ Source: Bloomberg, Innovator. Data from 12/31/1957 – 3/31/2025. Rolling one year performance of the S&P 500 Price Return Index (SPX) was analyzed for all periods resulting in a loss. 75% percent represents the portion of 12-month periods during which SPX returns were between 0 - -15%. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. One cannot invest directly in an index. Index performance does not account for fees and expenses.

The Outcomes may only be realized by investors who continuously hold shares from the commencement of the Outcome Period until its conclusion. Investors who purchase shares after the Outcome Period has begun or sell shares prior to the Outcome Period's conclusion may experience investment returns that are very different from those that the Funds seek to provide.

The Funds face numerous risks including buffered loss risk, capped upside return risk, inverse performance risk, Outcome Period risk, upside cap change risk, upside participation risk, liquidity risk, management risk, non-diversification risk, operation risk, trading issues risk, and valuation risk, among others. For a detailed list of Fund risks see each prospectus.

Fund shareholders are subject to an upside return cap (the "Cap") that represents the maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund for the Outcome Period, before fees and expenses. If the Outcome Period has begun and the Fund has increased in value to a level near the Cap, an investor purchasing shares at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. The Cap may rise or fall from one Outcome Period to the next. The Cap, and the Fund's position relative to it, should be considered before investing in the Fund. The Funds' website, , provides important Fund information as well information relating to the potential outcomes of an investment in a Fund on a daily basis.

The Funds seek to provide positive returns equal to the absolute value of the reference asset's price decreases (Inverse Performance) if the reference asset experiences negative returns that are less than or equal to the Inverse Performance Threshold. If the reference asset decreases in value beyond the Inverse Performance Threshold over the course of the Outcome Period, the Funds will not provide any positive returns. Accordingly, each Fund's value could drop significantly as a result of its Inverse Performance Threshold being exceeded at the end of the Outcome Period whereby any gains experienced by the Fund will be lost, and the buffer will be provided to shareholders. Furthermore, if the Outcome Period has begun and the reference asset has decreased in value below its initial value at the start of the Outcome Period, an investor purchasing shares at this point may not experience Inverse Performance to the extent of the Inverse Performance Threshold and will remain vulnerable to downside risks.

If the reference asset experiences losses over the course of the Outcome Period that exceed the Inverse Performance Threshold, the Funds seek to provide a buffer, up to each Fund's respective buffer level, against reference asset losses during the Outcome Period.

If an investor is considering purchasing shares during the Outcome Period, and the Fund has already decreased in value by an amount that exceeds the Inverse Performance Threshold, an investor purchasing shares at that price will have increased gains available prior to reaching the Upside Cap but may not benefit from the buffer that each Fund seeks to provide for the remainder of the Outcome Period as any subsequent losses will be experienced on a one-to-one basis. Conversely, if an investor is considering purchasing shares during the Outcome Period and the Funds have already increased in value, then a shareholder may experience losses that exceed their buffer, which is not guaranteed.

The Funds will not terminate after the conclusion of the Outcome Period. After the conclusion of the Outcome Period, another will begin. There is no guarantee that the Outcomes for an Outcome Period will be realized.

FLEX Options Risk. The Funds will utilize FLEX Options issued and guaranteed for settlement by the OCC (Options Clearing Corporation). In the unlikely event that the OCC becomes insolvent or is otherwise unable to meet its settlement obligations, the Funds could suffer significant losses. Additionally, FLEX Options may be less liquid than standard options. In a less liquid market for the FLEX Options, the Funds may have difficulty closing out certain FLEX Options positions at desired times and prices.

The Funds' investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses should be considered before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contains this and other important information, and it may be obtained at innovatoretfs.com. Read it carefully before investing.

Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. Innovator ETFs® are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.

The following marks: Accelerated ETFs®, Accelerated Plus ETF®, Accelerated Return ETFs®, Barrier ETF®, Buffer ETFTM, Defined Income ETFTM, Defined Outcome Bond ETF®, Defined Outcome ETFsTM, Defined Protection ETF®, Define Your Future®, Enhanced ETFTM, Floor ETF®, Innovator ETFs®, Leading the Defined Outcome ETF RevolutionTM, Managed Buffer ETFs®, Managed Outcome ETFs®, Step-UpTM, Step-Up ETFs®, 100% Buffer ETFsTM and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are the trademarks of Innovator Capital Management, LLC, its affiliates or licensors. Use of these terms is strictly prohibited without proper written authorization.

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