Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs CAIQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and CAIQ both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $286m on Jul 31, 2026 for Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF.
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+11.5%
BALQ
+15.6%
10.0% of it arrived as cash
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+11.5%
BALQ
+15.6%
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
10.0% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.5.7 pts behind QQQ
CAIQ since launch: paid 16.8%, price −4.1%, total +13.0%, QQQ +18.7%, −5.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+18.7%
CAIQ
+13.0%
16.8% of it arrived as cash
5.7 pts behind QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
5.7 pts behind QQQ
CAIQ since launch: paid 16.8%, price −4.1%, total +13.0%, QQQ +18.7%, −5.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+18.7%
CAIQ
+13.0%
16.8% as cash
5.7 pts behind QQQ
16.8% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. CAIQ since launch: paid 16.8%, price −4.1%, total +13.0%, QQQ +18.7%, −5.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.39 points a year less.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | CAIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 4.1% (since Nov 20, 2025) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 100% of the Nov 9, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.74% |
| Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 3, 2026 and CAIQ as of Jul 31, 2026 | $43m | $286m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and CAIQ hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
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
| Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | BALQ | CAIQ | BALQ | CAIQ | BALQ | CAIQ |
| 3 months | −3.8% | −2.9% | 2.1% | 4.5% | −0.3 pts | +0.6 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | −1.9% | 5.2% | 8.6% | +1.7 pts | −1.6 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · CAIQ Nov 2025 | +15.6% | +13.0% | 10.0% | 16.8% | +4.1 pts | −5.7 pts |
BALQ
Over the period from its first trade on Dec 3, 2025 to Nov 4, 2026, BALQ paid 10.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +11.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.5%, paid monthly. iShares estimates that 97% 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.
CAIQ
Over the period from its first trade on Nov 20, 2025 to Nov 4, 2026, CAIQ paid 16.8% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 4.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +13.0%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +18.7% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 5.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.6%, paid monthly. Calamos estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Nov 9, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).
Questions people ask
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
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, BALQ against CAIQ, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-caiq
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against CAIQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-caiq
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