At a glance
It has $57.4M in assets. Over the past year it returned +10.5% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%); over three years it returned +19.5% a year. At its worst it fell 26.1% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 9 months after the low.
The short version
Innovator US Equity Accelerated ETF (XDSQ) is a US stock fund from Innovator, launched March 31, 2021. Its name suggests a strategy built to amplify stock-market gains, but we couldn't match it to SEC filings, so its holdings, fee and exact mechanics are unconfirmed. It has moved less than the market, with a beta (market sensitivity) of 0.81 over the year to October 27, 2026, and has no recorded distributions.
Price history
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XDSQ +10.5% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XDSQ price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +8.6% | +10.5% | +19.5% | +9.9% | — | +10.7% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, XDSQ returned +10.5%.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +9.9%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-16.8%); its best was 2024 (+23.1%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 26.1% (Jan 4, 2022 to Oct 12, 2022), recovered by Jul 17, 2023.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +8.6% |
| 2025 | +14.2% |
| 2024 | +23.1% |
| 2023 | +23.0% |
| 2022 | -16.8% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 26% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 26.1%, back to its old high 9.1 months after the low |
How it works
Innovator's prospectus for XDSQ wasn't available for this review. We couldn't match the ticker or the fund's name to SEC filings, which can happen after a fund is renamed. So we can't confirm which index or asset the fund follows, how its holdings are chosen and weighted, or how often it rebalances or resets.
The name offers a clue. In the ETF industry, 'accelerated' usually describes a fund that uses options (contracts giving the right to buy or sell an asset at a set price by a set date) to seek a multiple of a stock index's gains. Total gains are limited by a maximum return, called a cap, over a fixed 'outcome period.' Losses in these designs usually match the index's, with no buffer to soften them. Investors who buy partway through a period can get different results. Whether XDSQ works this way is worth confirming in its prospectus.
The fund's record adds some practical detail. No distributions have been recorded, so returns have come through the share price alone. And it has moved less than the market: its beta, a measure of how much a fund tends to move when the market moves, was 0.81 over the year to October 27, 2026.
What it really costs
In a retirement portfolio
The fund is flagged as leveraged, but its structure can't be confirmed from a prospectus and its history is short, so it fits at most as a small add-on.
XDSQ launched in 2021, so it has no record from the 2008 financial crisis or the 2020 COVID crash. In the 2022 bear market it fell 26.1% from January 4 to October 12, 2022. It got back to its peak on July 17, 2023, about 9 months after the low. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -16.8%. Anyone taking money out during a slide like that would have been drawing from a smaller balance, which leaves less to recover when prices rise. No distributions were recorded, so the fund adds no income. We found no published expense ratio to compare. Past results don't predict the future, and a retirement plan needs to look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors seeking US stock exposure that has moved less than the market, with a one-year beta of 0.81 as of October 27, 2026.
- Growth-focused savers who don't need payouts: no distributions have been recorded, so returns have come from price changes alone.
- Patient holders who can sit through sharp drops: XDSQ fell 26.1% in 2022, then took about 9.1 months from the low to recover.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees who rely on portfolio income: the fund has no recorded distributions, so spending money would mean selling shares.
- Investors wanting a large, well-documented fund: XDSQ reported about $57.4 million in net assets, and its expense ratio couldn't be confirmed here.
- Anyone wanting a long track record: with about 5.6 years of history, XDSQ hasn't been through the 2008 financial crisis or the 2020 COVID crash.
Close alternatives
Matched by legacy category (no holdings report for this fund).
No close alternatives found.
Questions investors ask
Is XDSQ good for retirement income?
Not as an income source. XDSQ has no recorded distributions, so retirees drawing cash from it would have to sell shares, which can lock in losses after a fall like its 26.1% drop in 2022. It may suit retirees who want some growth from US stocks and can leave the money invested. Its fee and exact strategy couldn't be confirmed for this review, so the prospectus is worth reading before investing.
What is XDSQ's expense ratio?
We couldn't confirm it. Neither the XDSQ ticker nor the fund's name could be matched to SEC filings, which can happen after a fund is renamed, so its prospectus fee table wasn't available for this review. For the same reason, we can't say how its cost compares with similar funds. The fee table in the fund's prospectus, available from Innovator, is the place to check the expense ratio, the yearly cost taken from fund assets.
How does an accelerated ETF like XDSQ work?
In general, 'accelerated' ETFs use options to seek a multiple of a stock index's gains, up to a maximum return called a cap, over a set outcome period. Losses usually match the index's. We couldn't confirm XDSQ's exact design because its prospectus wasn't available for this review. Its record does show it moved less than the market, with a beta of 0.81 over the year to October 27, 2026. The prospectus is the place to confirm the details.
What is XDSQ's average annual return?
XDSQ returned 9.9% a year over the five years to October 27, 2026, based on its share price, and 10.7% a year since its March 31, 2021 launch. Over three years it gained 19.5% a year, about 71% in total. By calendar year it lost 16.8% in 2022, then gained 23.0% in 2023, 23.1% in 2024 and 14.2% in 2025, plus 8.6% in 2026 through October 27. Past results don't predict future returns.
How much did XDSQ fall in the 2022 bear market?
XDSQ fell 26.1% from its January 4, 2022 peak to its October 12, 2022 low, the deepest decline in its record. It regained that ground by July 17, 2023, about 9.1 months after the low. For the 2022 calendar year it lost 16.8%. The fund launched in 2021, so it has no record through the 2008 financial crisis or the 2020 COVID crash. Over the year to October 27, 2026, its largest drop was 9.6%.