ETFdb Logo
  • ETF Database
  • Channels
    • Themes
      • Active ETF
      • Alternatives Channel
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • China Insights
      • Climate Insights
      • Core Strategies
      • Crypto
      • Disruptive Technology
      • Energy Infrastructure
      • ETF Building Blocks
      • ETF Education
      • ETF Investing
      • ETF Strategist
      • Faith-Based Investing
      • Financial Literacy
      • Fixed Income
      • Free Cash Flow
      • Innovative ETFs
      • Invest Beyond Cash
      • Leveraged & Inverse
      • Modern Alpha
      • Portfolio Strategies
      • Tax Efficient Income
    • Asset Class
      • Equity
        • U.S. Equity
        • Int'l Developed
        • Emerging Market Equities
      • Alternatives
        • Gold/Silver/Critical Materials
        • Crypytocurrency
        • Currency
        • Volatility
      • Fixed Income
        • Investment Grade Corporates
        • US Treasuries & TIPS
        • High Yield Corporates
        • Int'l Fixed Income
    • ETF Ecosystem
    • ETFs in Canada
    • Market Outlook
    • Crypto ETF Hub
  • Tools
    • ETF Screener
    • ETF Country Exposure Tool
    • ETF Database Categories
    • Indexes
    • Scenario Analysis
    • Watchlists
    • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison Tool
    • Mutual Fund To ETF Converter
    • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
    • ETF Issuer Fund Flows
  • Research
    • ETF Education
    • Equity Investing
    • Dividend ETFs
    • Leveraged ETFs
    • Inverse ETFs
    • Index Education
    • Index Insights
    • Top ETF Sectors
    • Top ETF Issuers
    • Top ETF Industries
  • Webcasts
  • Themes
    • AI ETFs
    • Blockchain ETFs
    • See all Thematic Investing ETF themes
    • ESG Investing
    • Marijuana ETFs
  • Multimedia
    • ETF 360 Video Series
    • ETF of the Week Podcast
    • Gaining Perspective Podcast
    • ETF Prime Podcast
    • Video
  • Company
    • About VettaFi
    • Get VettaFi’ed
  • PRO
    • Pro Content
    • Pro Tools
    • Advanced
    • FAQ
    • Pricing
    • Free Sign Up
    • Login
  1. Crypto Channel
  2. Calamos Protected Bitcoin ETFs: Participate in Potential Upside while Weathering Downside Volatility
Crypto Channel
Share

Calamos Protected Bitcoin ETFs: Participate in Potential Upside while Weathering Downside Volatility

Nick WodeshickJun 02, 2025
2025-06-02

Now that 2025 is nearing its halfway point, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the year has marked an era of highs and lows for bitcoin investors.

As the chart below illustrates, the price of bitcoin began the new year in a bout of volatility. The cryptocurrency’s price dropped dramatically in February and March, then made a substantial comeback at the end of April.

Bitcoin Price (I:BTCUSD)

For now, the asset class seems to be in a better place. Not only is bitcoin approaching new highs for the year, but JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recently acquiesced to allowing the bank’s clients to buy the cryptocurrency.

Investors who already have exposure to spot bitcoin ETFs are likely familiar with the currency’s volatility. However, just because volatility is the norm doesn’t mean it has to be accepted.


Content continues below advertisement

Protected Bitcoin ETFs Offer a New Solution

This year, Calamos Investments began offering its suite of Protected Bitcoin ETFs to the investment community. These new funds work to limit bitcoin’s downside volatility while still offering capped equity upside.

The Calamos Bitcoin 80 Series Structured Alt Protection ETF – January (CBTJ) came online February 4, 2025. After investors pay fees and expenses, CBTJ limits potential losses to 20% over its outcome period.

Even though the fund has only been available for a few months, CBTJ has already made its use case quite clear. The chart below shows how CBTJ has performed relative to the price of bitcoin, through both good times and bad.

Return Since CBTJ Inception

CBTJ’s loss management comes at the expense of an upside cap on potential returns. That said, the fund’s upside cap is significantly higher than many traditional defined outcome ETFs on the market. When the fund first came to market, CBTJ’s cap rate hovered around the 50% mark.

When the price of bitcoin plummeted, CBTJ employed its options strategy to significantly limit the downside exposure. When bitcoin’s price mounted a comeback, the fund participated in most of bitcoin’s upside price return.

Regardless of where the price of bitcoin goes from here, CBTJ can continue to offer a resilient means to manage cryptocurrency exposure. If bitcoin endures another price drop, CBTJ’s options strategy can limit the potential risk exposure for a portfolio. Alternatively, if bitcoin continues to see its price grow, CBTJ still offers an opportunity for competitive returns.

For more news, information, and analysis, visit the Crypto Channel.

Disclosure Information

Performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. The principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that your shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. There are no assurances the Fund will be successful in providing the sought-after protection. The outcomes that the Fund seeks to provide may only be realized if you are holding shares on the first day of the outcome period and continue to hold them on the last day of the outcome period, approximately one year. There is no guarantee that the outcomes for an outcome period will be realized or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. If the outcome period has begun and the reference asset has increased in value, any appreciation of the Fund by virtue of increases in the reference asset since the commencement of the outcome period will not be protected by the sought-after protection, and an investor could experience losses until the reference asset returns to the original price at the commencement of the outcome period. 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 to the Cap, an investor purchasing at that price has little or no ability to achieve gains but remains vulnerable to downside risks. Additionally, 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 Fund’ website, www.calamos.com, provides important Fund information.

Before investing, carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. Please see the prospectus and summary prospectus this and other information which can be obtained by calling 1-866-363-9219. Read it carefully before investing.

An investment in the Fund is subject to risks, and you could lose money on your investment in the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Your investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase during times of significant market volatility. The Fund also has specific principal risks, which are described below. More detailed information regarding these risks can be found in the Fund’s prospectus.

The Fund seeks to provide investment results that, before taking fees and expenses into account, track the positive price return of the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate – New York Variant (“BRRNY”) (“Spot bitcoin”) up to a predetermined upside cap (the “Cap”) while seeking to protect against 100% of losses (before fees and expenses) of (i) Spot bitcoin or (ii) one or more of the Underlying ETPs and/or Bitcoin Indexes, in each case, over a period of approximately one (1) year (the “Outcome Period”). The Fund will not invest directly in bitcoin. Instead, the Fund seeks to provide investment results that, before taking fees and expenses into account, track the positive price return of Spot bitcoin by investing in options that reference the price performance of either (i) one or more underlying exchange-traded products (“Underlying ETPs”) which, in turn, own bitcoin or (ii) one or more indexes that are designed to track the price of bitcoin (“Bitcoin Index”).

The Target Outcome may not be achieved, and investors may lose some or all of their money. The Fund is designed to achieve the Target Outcome only if an investor buys on the first day of the Outcome Period and holds the Fund until the end of the Outcome Period. While the Fund seeks to provide 100% protection against losses experienced by the price of Spot bitcoin for shareholders who hold Fund Shares for an entire Outcome Period, there is no guarantee it will successfully do so. If the Fund’s NAV has increased significantly, a shareholder that purchases Fund Shares after the first day of an Outcome Period could lose their entire investment. An investment in the Fund is only appropriate for shareholders willing to bear those losses. There is no guarantee the Capital Protection and Cap will be successful and a shareholder investing at the beginning of an Outcome Period could also lose their entire investment.

Digital Assets Risk: The bitcoin network was first launched in 2009 and bitcoins were the first cryptographic digital assets created to gain global adoption and critical mass. Although the bitcoin network is the most established digital asset network, the bitcoin network and other cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the issuance of digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry that is subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. Moreover, because digital assets, including bitcoin, have been in existence for a short period of time and are continuing to develop, there may be additional risks in the future that are impossible to predict as of the date of this prospectus. Digital assets represent a new and rapidly evolving industry, and the value of the Underlying ETPs’ shares depends on the acceptance of bitcoin. The realization of one or more of the following risks could materially adversely affect the value of the Underlying ETPs’ shares.

Investing involves risks. Loss of principal is possible. The Fund(s) face numerous market trading risks, including authorized participation concentration risk, underlying ETP risk, cap change risk, capital protection risk, capped upside risk, cash holdings risk, concentration risk, clearing member default risk, correlation risk, costs of buying and selling fund shares, counterparty risk, derivatives risk, equity securities risk, FLEX options risk, interest rate risk, investment in a subsidiary, investment timing risk, liquidity risk, management risk, market maker risk, market risk, new fund risk, non-diversification risk, options risk, OTC options risk, position limits risk, premium-discount risk, secondary market trading risk, sector risk, tax risk, trading issues risk, U.S. Government security risk, U.S. Treasury risk, and valuation risk. For a detailed list of fund risks see the prospectus.

The fund’s expense ratio as of the prospectus dated 2/3/2025 is 0.69%.

100% capital protection is over a one-year period before fees and expenses. All caps are pre-determined.

Cap Rate – Maximum percentage return an investor can achieve from an investment in the Fund if held over the Outcome Period.

Protection Level – Amount of protection the Fund is designed to achieve over the Days Remaining.

Outcome Period – The defined length of time over which the outcomes are sought.

Calamos Financial Services LLC, Distributor

NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NO BANK GUARANTEE     

Calamos Financial Services LLC
2020 Calamos Court | Naperville, IL 60563
866.363.9219 | www.calamos.com | [email protected]
©2025 Calamos Investments LLC. All Rights Reserved.     

Calamos and Calamos Investments are registered trademarks of Calamos LLC.

Loading Articles...
Our Sites
  • VettaFi
  • Advisor Perspectives
  • ETF Trends
Tools
  • ETF Screener
  • Mutual Fund to ETF Converter
  • Head-To-Head ETF Comparison
  • ETF Country Exposure Tool
  • ETF Stock Exposure Tool
  • ETF Database Pro
More Tools
  • Financial Advisor & RIA Center
Explore ETFs
  • ETF News
  • ETF Category Reports
  • Premium Articles
  • Alphabetical Listing of ETFs
  • Browse ETFs by ETF Database Category
  • Browse ETFs by Index
  • Browse ETFs by Issuer
  • Compare ETFs
Information
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
  • © 2025 VettaFi LLC. All rights reserved.

Advertisement

Is Your Portfolio Positioned With Enough Global Exposure?

ETF Education Channel

How to Allocate Commodities in Portfolios

Tom LydonApr 26, 2022
2022-04-26

A long-running debate in asset allocation circles is how much of a portfolio an investor should...

Core Strategies Channel

Why ETFs Experience Limit Up/Down Protections

Karrie GordonMay 13, 2022
2022-05-13

In a digital age where information moves in milliseconds and millions of participants can transact...

}
X