Data as of . Every figure is the income desk's own, on published data.
RYLD vs YMAX
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, RYLD and YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in RYLD | Only in YMAX |
|---|---|
| Global X Russell 2000 ETF 100.00% | YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95% |
| N/A 0.00% | Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36% |
| N/A 0.00% | Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01% |
| N/A 0.00% | YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99% |
| N/A 0.00% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88% |
| N/A 0.00% | YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80% |
| YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72% | |
| 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 as filed for Apr 30, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RYLD | YMAX | RYLD | YMAX | RYLD | YMAX | |
| 3 months | +7.0% | +7.1% | 3.1% | 10.9% | +1.7 pts | +2.4 pts |
| 6 months | +13.5% | +18.0% | 6.2% | 24.4% | −5.0 pts | +2.8 pts |
| 1 year | +21.0% | +3.5% | 12.4% | 40.0% | −5.4 pts | −16.5 pts |
| 3 years | +33.0% | n/a | 32.7% | n/a | −31.2 pts | n/a |
| Since launch | +54.7% | +44.0% | 67.2% | 91.0% | −54.1 pts | −24.0 pts |
| RYLD Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF | YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Global X | YieldMax |
| Strategy | covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Russell 2000 (IWM) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualised | 12.2% | 40.6% |
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 1.33% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 12.4% | 40.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | +7.3% | −38.7% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.0% | +3.5% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +26.4% | +20.0% |
| Ahead or behind | −5.4 pts | −16.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 43% |
| Age | 2692 days | 961 days |
RYLD in plain words
Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, RYLD paid 12.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 7.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +21.0%. Russell 2000 (IWM) returned +26.4% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 5.4 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 12.2%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Aug 27, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).
YMAX in plain words
Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, YMAX paid 40.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 38.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +3.5%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +20.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 16.5 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 40.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 43% 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, RYLD or YMAX?
- Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, RYLD paid 12.4% of its starting price in cash and YMAX paid 40.0%, so YMAX paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, RYLD or YMAX?
- With every distribution reinvested, RYLD returned +21.0% and YMAX returned +3.5% over the year to Sep 4, 2026, so RYLD returned more.
- Which is cheaper, RYLD or YMAX?
- RYLD charges 0.60% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so RYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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, RYLD against YMAX, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/RYLD-YMAX.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.