Data as of .
BALI vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 46.9% of its price in cash against BALI’s 8.5%, though BALI returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: BALI scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 161 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, BALI and ULTY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in BALI | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA 7.38% | Alphabet Inc 5.66% |
| APPLE 6.04% | Analog Devices Inc 5.47% |
| MICROSOFT 5.32% | Amazon.com Inc 5.16% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 3.35% | Lam Research Corp 4.99% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A 2.52% | Ciena Corp 4.95% |
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 2.46% | Quanta Services Inc 4.95% |
| ALPHABET CLASS C 2.33% | Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.86% |
| BROADCOM INC 2.23% | NVIDIA Corp 4.80% |
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 Sep 10, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALI | ULTY | BALI | ULTY | BALI | ULTY | |
| 3 months | +4.4% | −0.3% | 2.0% | 14.2% | +1.1 pts | −3.6 pts |
| 6 months | +15.0% | +11.2% | 4.7% | 29.8% | −1.0 pts | −4.8 pts |
| 1 year | +18.9% | −5.8% | 8.5% | 46.9% | +1.4 pts | −23.3 pts |
| Since launch | +76.3% | +9.0% | 29.2% | 86.7% | −8.2 pts | −45.9 pts |
| BALI iShares U.S. Large Cap Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on SPY, paying monthly | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | YieldMax |
| Strategy | covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 7.5% | 61.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% | 46.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +9.5% | −53.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +18.9% | −5.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | +1.4 pts | −23.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 100% |
| Age | 1079 days | 925 days |
BALI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, BALI paid 8.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 9.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.4 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.5%, paid monthly.
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, ULTY paid 46.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 53.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −5.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 23.3 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 61.5%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, BALI or ULTY?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, BALI paid 8.5% of its starting price in cash and ULTY paid 46.9%, so ULTY 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 ULTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, BALI returned +18.9% and ULTY returned −5.8% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so BALI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, BALI or ULTY?
- BALI charges 0.35% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so BALI 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, BALI against ULTY, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/bali-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.