Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
SPY vs YMAX: how they differ
Over the year SPY returned more, +17.5% against −0.6%, and SPY charges 0.09% against 1.33%.
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, SPY and YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in SPY | Only in YMAX |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORP 8.08% | YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95% |
| APPLE INC 7.33% | Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36% |
| MICROSOFT CORP 5.59% | Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 3.77% | YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99% |
| ALPHABET INC CL A 2.98% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88% |
| BROADCOM INC 2.61% | YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80% |
| ALPHABET INC CL C 2.39% | YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72% |
| META PLATFORMS INC CLASS A 2.16% | YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option 4.66% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Income ETF |
| Issuer | State Street | YieldMax |
| What it is | S&P 500 | synthetic covered call, vs SPY |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.5% | −0.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | 0.0 pts | −18.1 pts |
| Cash paid, 1 year | not an income fund | 39.0% |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 1.33% |
| Holdings | 505 | not filed |
SPY in plain words
SPY is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 505 positions, with the top ten at 38.2%.
YMAX in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, YMAX paid 39.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 41.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.6%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 18.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 41.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 68% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SPY or YMAX?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +17.5% and YMAX returned −0.6%, so SPY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, SPY or YMAX?
- SPY charges 0.09% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so SPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- Are SPY and YMAX the same kind of fund?
- No. SPY is an index ETF and YMAX is an option-income ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, SPY against YMAX, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-ymax Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources