ACEI vs SCA: which paid, and which earned it?

ACEI and SCA both write options for income. Innovator Equity Autocallable Income Strategy ETF and GraniteShares Autocallable SMCI ETF.

11.1%
ACEI cash paid, 1 year
12.8%
SCA cash paid, since launch
+5.9%
ACEI total return, 1 year
+17.8%
SCA total return, since launch
ACEI · 1 year to Sep 30, 20269.8 pts behind SPY
ACEI
+5.9%
SPY
+15.7%

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% of it arrived 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.

SCA · since launch to Sep 30, 202610.3 pts ahead of SMCI
SCA
+17.8%
SMCI
+7.5%

10.3 pts ahead of SMCI

SCA since launch: paid 12.8%, price +2.9%, total +17.8%, SMCI +7.5%, +10.3 pts.

SMCI

+7.5%

SCA

+17.8%

12.8% of it arrived as cash

10.3 pts ahead of SMCI

Total return, distributions reinvested

10.3 pts ahead of SMCI

SCA since launch: paid 12.8%, price +2.9%, total +17.8%, SMCI +7.5%, +10.3 pts.

SMCI

+7.5%

SCA

+17.8%

12.8% as cash

10.3 pts ahead of SMCI

12.8% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +17.8%. SCA since launch: paid 12.8%, price +2.9%, total +17.8%, SMCI +7.5%, +10.3 pts.

Performance, window by window

Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowACEISCAACEISCAACEISCA
3 months+5.4%+38.2%3.3%8.0%+2.8 pts−10.4 pts
6 months+5.6%not published6.5%not published−11.4 ptsnot published
1 year+5.9%not published11.1%not published−9.8 ptsnot published
Since launch
ACEI Sep 2025 · SCA May 2026
+6.0%+17.8%11.1%12.8%−11.2 pts+10.3 pts

ACEI and SCA 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
Innovator Equity Autocallable Income Strategy ETF · Autocallable on SPY, paying monthly
SCA
GraniteShares Autocallable SMCI ETF · Autocallable on SMCI, paying monthly
Issuer Innovator GraniteShares
Strategy autocallable autocallable
Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy Super Micro (SMCI)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 13.0% 36.6%
Expense ratio 0.79% 1.07%
Cash paid, 1 year 11.1% 12.8% (since launch on May 27, 2026)
Price change, 1 year −5.7% +2.9%
Total return, 1 year +5.9% +17.8% (since launch on May 27, 2026)
Benchmark return, 1 year +15.7% +7.5%
Ahead or behind −9.8 pts +10.3 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate not published 29%
Age 370 days 126 days
Net assets $50m $2m

ACEI and SCA 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.

SCA in plain words

Over the period since launch on May 27, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026, SCA paid 12.8% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 2.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.8%. Super Micro (SMCI) returned +7.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 10.3 pts. At its price on Sep 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 36.6%, paid monthly. GraniteShares estimates that 29% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, ACEI or SCA?
ACEI charges 0.79% a year and SCA charges 1.07%, so ACEI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Cite this page

ETFIQ, ACEI against SCA, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acei-vs-sca

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.