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

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

4.5%
ACYN cash paid, since launch
13.7%
CAIQ cash paid, since launch
+8.2%
ACYN total return, since launch
+19.6%
CAIQ 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% 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.

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, ACYN 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 and Sep 30, 2026.

half

0% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding ACYN CAIQ
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 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
WindowACYNCAIQACYNCAIQACYNCAIQ
3 months+3.2%+2.6%1.8%2.9%+0.7 pts+0.5 pts
6 months+7.0%+18.4%4.4%8.0%−10.0 pts−8.4 pts
Since launch
ACYN Feb 2026 · CAIQ Nov 2025
+8.2%+19.6%4.5%13.7%−2.7 pts−7.3 pts

ACYN 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

ACYN
FT Vest Laddered Autocallable Barrier & Income ETF · Autocallable on SPY, paying monthly
CAIQ
Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF · Autocallable on QQQ, paying monthly
Issuer First Trust Calamos
Strategy autocallable autocallable
Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 9.9% 17.5%
Expense ratio 0.75% 0.74%
Cash paid, 1 year 4.5% (since launch on Feb 25, 2026) 13.7% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025)
Price change, 1 year +3.5% +4.7%
Total return, 1 year +8.2% (since launch on Feb 25, 2026) +19.6% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025)
Benchmark return, 1 year +10.9% +26.9%
Ahead or behind −2.7 pts −7.3 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate not published not published
Age 217 days 314 days
Net assets $2.2bn $167m

ACYN and CAIQ 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.

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

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