ACEI vs CAIQ: which paid, and which earned it?
ACEI and CAIQ both write options for income. Innovator Equity Autocallable Income Strategy ETF and Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF.
9.8 pts behind SPY
ACEI over 1 year: paid 11.1%, price −5.7%, total +5.9%, SPY +15.7%, −9.8 pts.
SPY
+15.7%
ACEI
+5.9%
11.1% as cash
9.8 pts behind SPY
Total return, distributions reinvested
9.8 pts behind SPY
ACEI over 1 year: paid 11.1%, price −5.7%, total +5.9%, SPY +15.7%, −9.8 pts.
SPY
+15.7%
ACEI
+5.9%
9.8 pts behind SPY
11.1% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. ACEI over 1 year: paid 11.1%, price −5.7%, total +5.9%, SPY +15.7%, −9.8 pts.
7.3 pts behind QQQ
CAIQ since launch: paid 13.7%, price +4.7%, total +19.6%, QQQ +26.9%, −7.3 pts.
QQQ
+26.9%
CAIQ
+19.6%
13.7% of it arrived as cash
7.3 pts behind QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
7.3 pts behind QQQ
CAIQ since launch: paid 13.7%, price +4.7%, total +19.6%, QQQ +26.9%, −7.3 pts.
QQQ
+26.9%
CAIQ
+19.6%
7.3 pts behind QQQ
13.7% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +26.9%. CAIQ since launch: paid 13.7%, price +4.7%, total +19.6%, QQQ +26.9%, −7.3 pts.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACEI and CAIQ hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed.
Performance, window by window
| Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | ACEI | CAIQ | ACEI | CAIQ | ACEI | CAIQ |
| 3 months | +5.4% | +2.6% | 3.3% | 2.9% | +2.8 pts | +0.5 pts |
| 6 months | +5.6% | +18.4% | 6.5% | 8.0% | −11.4 pts | −8.4 pts |
| 1 year | +5.9% | not published | 11.1% | not published | −9.8 pts | not published |
| Since launch ACEI Sep 2025 · CAIQ Nov 2025 | +6.0% | +19.6% | 11.1% | 13.7% | −11.2 pts | −7.3 pts |
ACEI and CAIQ over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →
On the same fields
ACEI and CAIQ on the same fields, as of Sep 30, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACEI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 30, 2026, ACEI paid 11.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 5.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.9%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +15.7% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.8 pts. At its price on Sep 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 13.0%, paid monthly.
CAIQ in plain words
Over the period since launch on Nov 20, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026, CAIQ paid 13.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +19.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +26.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 7.3 pts. At its price on Sep 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 17.5%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
ETFIQ, ACEI against CAIQ, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acei-vs-caiq
Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, ACEI against CAIQ, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acei-vs-caiq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
Other forms
- Plain
- ETFIQ, ACEI against CAIQ, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acei-vs-caiq
- APA
- ETFIQ. (Sep 30, 2026). ACEI against CAIQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acei-vs-caiq
- Markdown
- [ACEI against CAIQ (ETFIQ, Sep 30, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acei-vs-caiq)