Data as of . Every figure is the income desk's own, on published data.
MSTY vs ULTY
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, MSTY and ULTY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | MSTY | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy Inc | 0.01% | 4.65% |
| Only in MSTY | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 21.68% | Alphabet Inc 5.66% |
| TREASURY BILL 21.18% | Analog Devices Inc 5.47% |
| TREASURY BILL 20.64% | Amazon.com Inc 5.16% |
| TREASURY BILL 17.38% | Lam Research Corp 4.99% |
| TREASURY BILL 15.04% | Ciena Corp 4.95% |
| TREASURY BILL 4.07% | Quanta Services Inc 4.95% |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.86% | |
| NVIDIA Corp 4.80% |
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 as filed for Apr 30, 2026 and Jan 31, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSTY | ULTY | MSTY | ULTY | MSTY | ULTY | |
| 3 months | +14.6% | +2.9% | 15.8% | 14.5% | −4.0 pts | −1.8 pts |
| 6 months | +4.2% | +12.9% | 33.4% | 29.9% | −2.7 pts | −2.3 pts |
| 1 year | −50.8% | −2.9% | 35.0% | 48.3% | +5.7 pts | −22.8 pts |
| Since launch | +67.6% | +10.0% | 222.8% | 86.5% | −32.6 pts | −46.2 pts |
| MSTY YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | MicroStrategy (MSTR) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualised | 68.2% | 60.4% |
| Expense ratio | not published | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 35.0% | 48.3% |
| Price change, 1 year | −79.0% | −52.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | −50.8% | −2.9% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −56.4% | +20.0% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.7 pts | −22.8 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 99% | 100% |
| Age | 925 days | 918 days |
MSTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, MSTY paid 35.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 79.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −50.8%. MicroStrategy (MSTR) returned −56.4% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.7 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 68.2%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 4, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, ULTY paid 48.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 52.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −2.9%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +20.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 22.8 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 60.4%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 3, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, MSTY or ULTY?
- Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, MSTY paid 35.0% of its starting price in cash and ULTY paid 48.3%, so ULTY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, MSTY or ULTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, MSTY returned −50.8% and ULTY returned −2.9% over the year to Sep 4, 2026, so ULTY returned more.
Other comparisons
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, MSTY against ULTY, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/MSTY-ULTY.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.