Data as of .
AIPI vs XLEI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year AIPI paid 31.3% of its price in cash against XLEI’s 20.7%, though XLEI returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XLEI 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 XLEI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in AIPI | Only in XLEI |
|---|---|
| CROWDSTRIKE HOLDINGS, INC. 11.93% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC 100.58% |
| PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC. 8.40% | SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS 0.51% |
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 8.23% | US DOLLAR 0.02% |
| Astera Labs, Inc 7.20% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 69 CALL -0.03% |
| DATADOG, INC. 6.65% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 68 CALL -0.12% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4.15% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 67 CALL -0.95% |
| SUPER MICRO COMPUTER, INC. 3.95% | |
| IONQ Inc 3.62% |
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 May 31, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIPI | XLEI | AIPI | XLEI | AIPI | XLEI | |
| 3 months | +7.7% | +17.4% | 8.4% | 5.2% | +11.7 pts | −3.0 pts |
| 6 months | +24.6% | +12.6% | 17.8% | 9.4% | −10.8 pts | +2.7 pts |
| 1 year | +22.2% | +37.8% | 31.3% | 20.7% | −9.4 pts | −10.0 pts |
| Since launch | +56.1% | +41.2% | 64.2% | 23.1% | −35.1 pts | −10.0 pts |
| AIPI REX AI EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF Covered call on AIQ, paying weekly | XLEI State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLE, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | REX | State Street |
| Strategy | covered call | covered call |
| 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% | 15.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.65% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 31.3% | 20.7% |
| Price change, 1 year | −13.8% | +12.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +22.2% | +37.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +31.6% | +47.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −9.4 pts | −10.0 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | not published |
| Age | 836 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $466m | $119m |
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).
XLEI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLEI paid 20.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +37.8%. Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy returned +47.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.0 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 15.8%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, AIPI or XLEI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, AIPI paid 31.3% of its starting price in cash and XLEI paid 20.7%, 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 XLEI?
- With every distribution reinvested, AIPI returned +22.2% and XLEI returned +37.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so XLEI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, AIPI or XLEI?
- AIPI charges 0.65% a year and XLEI charges 0.35%, so XLEI 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 XLEI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/aipi-vs-xlei Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.