Which paid more, BALI or QLDY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, BALI paid 8.4% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, BALI or QLDY?

With every distribution reinvested, BALI returned +17.6% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, BALI or QLDY?

BALI charges 0.35% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so BALI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

BALI vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its price in cash against BALI’s 8.4%, though BALI returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $1.5bn for iShares U.S. Large Cap Premium Income Active ETF and $53m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF.

BALI on its own →QLDY on its own →

At a glance

8.4%

BALI cash paid, 1 year

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

+17.6%

BALI total return, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

BALI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 2.8 pts ahead of SPY

BALI

+17.6%

SPY

+14.8%

2.8 pts ahead of SPY

BALI over 1 year: paid 8.4%, price +8.4%, total +17.6%, SPY +14.8%, +2.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

BALI

+17.6%

8.4% of it arrived as cash

2.8 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

2.8 pts ahead of SPY

BALI over 1 year: paid 8.4%, price +8.4%, total +17.6%, SPY +14.8%, +2.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

BALI

+17.6%

2.8 pts ahead of SPY

8.4% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. BALI over 1 year: paid 8.4%, price +8.4%, total +17.6%, SPY +14.8%, +2.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QLDY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY

+9.1%

QQQ

+12.3%

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% of it arrived as cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

3.2 pts behind QQQ

35.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALI costs 0.69 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.5 points; BALI is far larger, $1.5bn against $53m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALI vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	BALI	QLDY
Paid and earned
Measure	BALI	QLDY
Total return, 1 year	+17.6%	+9.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 8.4%	fell 27.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	84% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	BALI	QLDY
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	BALI	QLDY
Expense ratio	0.35%	1.04%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$1.5bn	$53m
Holdings
Measure	BALI	QLDY
Holdings in common	0%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · BALI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score88.3BALI24.9QLDY

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

BALI 88.3

QLDY 24.9

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, BALI and QLDY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALI QLDY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in BALI

NVIDIA 6.95%

APPLE 6.17%

MICROSOFT 5.46%

AMAZON.COM INC 3.33%

BROADCOM INC 2.12%

ALPHABET CLASS A 2.09%

ALPHABET CLASS C 1.95%

EXXONMOBIL HOLDINGS CORP 1.93%

Only in QLDY

Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 92.84%

United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.49%

Exchange Put Opt 11/26 28320 0.15%

Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05%

Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 11/26 28470 -0.24%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BALI iShares U.S. Large Cap Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer iShares Defiance

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 6.5% 19.7%

Expense ratio 0.35% 1.04%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.4% 35.3%

Price change, 1 year +8.4% −27.2%

Total return, 1 year +17.6% +9.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +12.3%

Ahead or behind +2.8 pts −3.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 84% 0%

Age 3.1 years 1.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $1.5bn $53m

As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price. Payout rate: the latest payment, annualized, over today’s price.

Window by window

Window by window: BALI vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	BALI	QLDY	BALI	QLDY	BALI	QLDY
3 months	0.0%	−4.5%	1.7%	9.5%	+0.1 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	+6.5%	−3.1%	3.7%	18.5%	+1.4 pts	−2.8 pts
1 year	+17.6%	+9.1%	8.4%	35.3%	+2.8 pts	−3.2 pts
3 years	+74.1%	–	29.6%	–	−8.8 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: BALI Sep 2023 · QLDY Sep 2025	+77.2%	+13.2%	30.6%	39.1%	−8.4 pts	−3.7 pts

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Alert

About each fund

BALI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, BALI paid 8.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.6%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 2.8 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.5%, paid monthly. iShares estimates that 84% of the distribution paid Nov 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

QLDY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 27.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.7%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, BALI or QLDY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, BALI paid 8.4% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, BALI or QLDY?: With every distribution reinvested, BALI returned +17.6% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, BALI or QLDY?: BALI charges 0.35% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so BALI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BALI vs QDTY BALI vs QYLG BALI vs TDAQ BALI vs CAIQ QLDY vs ISPY QLDY vs FTHI QLDY vs XYLD QLDY vs GPIX

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →BALI on its own →QLDY on its own →BALI dividend history →BALI holdings →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

BALI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BALI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

BALI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

iShares page for BALI ↗

QLDY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QLDY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QLDY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QLDY ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BALI against QLDY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/bali-vs-qldy

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