EOCT uses options in an effort to moderate losses on iShares MSCI EM ETF (EEM) over a one-year period starting each October. The fund foregoes some upside return as well as the dividend component of the index, because the options are written on the price (not total) return version of the index. In exchange for preventing realization of the first 15% of EEM losses, investors forego upside participation above a certain threshold, which is reset annually. Investors who buy at any other time than the annual reset day may have a very different protection and buffer zone. The issuer publishes effective interim levels daily on its website. The fund must be held to the end of the period to pursue the intended results. The targeted buffers and caps do not include the funds expense ratio. The fund is actively managed, resets annually and uses listed options exclusively.