Data as of .
AIPI vs MDST: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year AIPI paid 31.3% of its price in cash against MDST’s 10.0%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: MDST scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 173 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, AIPI and MDST hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in AIPI | Only in MDST |
|---|---|
| CROWDSTRIKE HOLDINGS, INC. 11.93% | ENERGY TRANSFER LP 8.97% |
| PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC. 8.40% | ENBRIDGE INC 8.79% |
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 8.23% | WILLIAMS COMPANIES INC (THE) 8.61% |
| Astera Labs, Inc 7.20% | ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS PARTNERS LP 6.87% |
| DATADOG, INC. 6.65% | DT MIDSTREAM INC 6.43% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4.15% | KINDER MORGAN INC 5.64% |
| SUPER MICRO COMPUTER, INC. 3.95% | CHENIERE ENERGY INC 5.05% |
| IONQ Inc 3.62% | ONEOK INC 5.00% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIPI | MDST | AIPI | MDST | AIPI | MDST | |
| 3 months | +7.7% | +4.6% | 8.4% | 2.4% | +11.7 pts | −15.9 pts |
| 6 months | +24.6% | +5.8% | 17.8% | 4.7% | −10.8 pts | −4.2 pts |
| 1 year | +22.2% | +19.2% | 31.3% | 10.0% | −9.4 pts | −28.6 pts |
| Since launch | +56.1% | +48.9% | 64.2% | 26.1% | −35.1 pts | +7.3 pts |
| AIPI REX AI EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF Covered call on AIQ, paying weekly | MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF Option income on XLE, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | REX | Westwood |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | AI and technology (AIQ), used as the AI proxy | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy |
| Pays | weekly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 34.4% | 9.3% |
| Expense ratio | 0.65% | 0.80% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 31.3% | 10.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | −13.8% | +8.2% |
| Total return, 1 year | +22.2% | +19.2% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +31.6% | +47.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −9.4 pts | −28.6 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | not published |
| Age | 836 days | 892 days |
| Net assets | $465m | $247m |
AIPI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, AIPI paid 31.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 13.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +22.2%. AI and technology (AIQ), used as the AI proxy returned +31.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.4 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 34.4%, paid weekly. REX estimates that 100% of the distribution paid was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
MDST in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, MDST paid 10.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +19.2%. Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy returned +47.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 28.6 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.3%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, AIPI or MDST?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, AIPI paid 31.3% of its starting price in cash and MDST paid 10.0%, so AIPI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, AIPI or MDST?
- With every distribution reinvested, AIPI returned +22.2% and MDST returned +19.2% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so AIPI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, AIPI or MDST?
- AIPI charges 0.65% a year and MDST charges 0.80%, so AIPI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, AIPI against MDST, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/aipi-vs-mdst Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.