ACYN vs CAGE: which paid, and which earned it?

ACYN and CAGE both write options for income. FT Vest Laddered Autocallable Barrier & Income ETF and Calamos Autocallable Growth ETF.

4.5%
ACYN cash paid, since launch
0.0%
CAGE cash paid, since launch
+8.2%
ACYN total return, since launch
+14.4%
CAGE total return, since launch
ACYN · since launch to Sep 30, 20262.7 pts behind SPY
ACYN
+8.2%
SPY
+10.9%

2.7 pts behind SPY

ACYN since launch: paid 4.5%, price +3.5%, total +8.2%, SPY +10.9%, −2.7 pts.

SPY

+10.9%

ACYN

+8.2%

4.5% of it arrived as cash

2.7 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

2.7 pts behind SPY

ACYN since launch: paid 4.5%, price +3.5%, total +8.2%, SPY +10.9%, −2.7 pts.

SPY

+10.9%

ACYN

+8.2%

2.7 pts behind SPY

4.5% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. ACYN since launch: paid 4.5%, price +3.5%, total +8.2%, SPY +10.9%, −2.7 pts.

CAGE · since launch to Sep 30, 20265.2 pts ahead of SPY
CAGE
+14.4%
SPY
+9.2%

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

CAGE since launch: paid 0.0%, price +14.4%, total +14.4%, SPY +9.2%, +5.2 pts.

SPY

+9.2%

CAGE

+14.4%

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

CAGE since launch: paid 0.0%, price +14.4%, total +14.4%, SPY +9.2%, +5.2 pts.

SPY

+9.2%

CAGE

+14.4%

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

0.0% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +14.4%. CAGE since launch: paid 0.0%, price +14.4%, total +14.4%, SPY +9.2%, +5.2 pts.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, ACYN and CAGE 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 and Sep 30, 2026.

half

0% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding ACYN CAGE
Only in ACYN
U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 12/31/2026 32.99%
U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 11/27/2026 32.91%
U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 10/29/2026 31.88%
US Dollar 0.83%
ACYN Autocall Derivative Citi 0.70%
ACYN Autocall Derivative JPMorgan 0.36%
ACYN Autocall Derivative BNP 0.33%
Only in CAGE
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
WindowACYNCAGEACYNCAGEACYNCAGE
3 months+3.2%+3.7%1.8%0.0%+0.7 pts+1.1 pts
6 months+7.0%not published4.4%not published−10.0 ptsnot published
Since launch
ACYN Feb 2026 · CAGE Apr 2026
+8.2%+14.4%4.5%0.0%−2.7 pts+5.2 pts

ACYN and CAGE over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

ACYN
FT Vest Laddered Autocallable Barrier & Income ETF · Autocallable on SPY, paying monthly
CAGE
Calamos Autocallable Growth ETF · Autocallable on SPY
Issuer First Trust Calamos
Strategy autocallable autocallable
Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy
Pays monthly not established
Payout rate, annualized 9.9% not published
Expense ratio 0.75% 0.74%
Cash paid, 1 year 4.5% (since launch on Feb 25, 2026) 0.0% (since launch on Apr 16, 2026)
Price change, 1 year +3.5% +14.4%
Total return, 1 year +8.2% (since launch on Feb 25, 2026) +14.4% (since launch on Apr 16, 2026)
Benchmark return, 1 year +10.9% +9.2%
Ahead or behind −2.7 pts +5.2 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate not published not published
Age 217 days 167 days
Net assets $2.2bn $14m

ACYN and CAGE on the same fields, as of Sep 30, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

ACYN in plain words

Over the period since launch on Feb 25, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026, ACYN paid 4.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.2%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +10.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 2.7 pts. At its price on Sep 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.9%, paid monthly.

CAGE in plain words

Over the period since launch on Apr 16, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026, CAGE paid 0.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 14.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.4%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +9.2% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.2 pts.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, ACYN or CAGE?
ACYN charges 0.75% a year and CAGE charges 0.74%, so CAGE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Cite this page

ETFIQ, ACYN against CAGE, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/acyn-vs-cage

Open data

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