ACII vs CAIQ: which paid, and which earned it?

ACII and CAIQ both write options for income. Innovator Index Autocallable Income Strategy ETF and Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF.

3.8%
ACII cash paid, since launch
13.7%
CAIQ cash paid, since launch
+1.6%
ACII total return, since launch
+19.6%
CAIQ total return, since launch
ACII · since launch to Sep 30, 2026About even with SPY
ACII
+1.6%
SPY
+1.6%

About even with SPY

ACII since launch: paid 3.8%, price −2.3%, total +1.6%, SPY +1.6%, +0.1 pts.

SPY

+1.6%

ACII

+1.6%

about even with SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

About even with SPY

ACII since launch: paid 3.8%, price −2.3%, total +1.6%, SPY +1.6%, +0.1 pts.

SPY

+1.6%

ACII

+1.6%

about even with SPY

3.8% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. ACII since launch: paid 3.8%, price −2.3%, total +1.6%, SPY +1.6%, +0.1 pts.

CAIQ · since launch to Sep 30, 20267.3 pts behind QQQ
CAIQ
+19.6%
QQQ
+26.9%

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, ACII 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

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding ACII CAIQ
Only in ACII
TREASURY BILL 100.00%
Only in CAIQ
Calamos Tax-Aware Collateral ETF 100.00%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed.

Performance, window by window

Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowACIICAIQACIICAIQACIICAIQ
3 months+1.7%+2.6%2.4%2.9%−0.8 pts+0.5 pts
6 monthsnot published+18.4%not published8.0%not published−8.4 pts
Since launch
ACII May 2026 · CAIQ Nov 2025
+1.6%+19.6%3.8%13.7%+0.1 pts−7.3 pts

ACII 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

ACII
Innovator Index Autocallable Income Strategy ETF · Autocallable on SPY, paying monthly
CAIQ
Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF · Autocallable on QQQ, paying monthly
Issuer Innovator Calamos
Strategy autocallable autocallable
Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 9.8% 17.5%
Expense ratio 0.79% 0.74%
Cash paid, 1 year 3.8% (since launch on May 28, 2026) 13.7% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025)
Price change, 1 year −2.3% +4.7%
Total return, 1 year +1.6% (since launch on May 28, 2026) +19.6% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025)
Benchmark return, 1 year +1.6% +26.9%
Ahead or behind +0.1 pts −7.3 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate not published not published
Age 125 days 314 days
Net assets $136m $167m

ACII and CAIQ on the same fields, as of Sep 30, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

ACII in plain words

Over the period since launch on May 28, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026, ACII paid 3.8% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 2.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +1.6%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +1.6% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Sep 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.8%, 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

Which is cheaper, ACII or CAIQ?
ACII charges 0.79% a year and CAIQ charges 0.74%, so CAIQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Cite this page

ETFIQ, ACII against CAIQ, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acii-vs-caiq

Open data

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