Data as of .
BALQ vs FGSI: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and FGSI both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and FGSI hold 15% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | BALQ | FGSI |
|---|---|---|
| MICROSOFT | 6.72% | 2.45% |
| NVIDIA | 8.62% | 2.15% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A | 3.31% | 2.03% |
| PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES CLASS A | 1.96% | 2.63% |
| BROADCOM INC | 2.99% | 1.90% |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP | 2.61% | 1.85% |
| MARVELL TECHNOLOGY | 1.04% | 2.53% |
| ADOBE INC | 0.68% | 2.05% |
| NEUROCRINE BIOSCIENCES | 0.31% | 1.67% |
| UNITED THERAPEUTICS | 0.28% | 1.80% |
| COMFORT SYSTEMS USA | 0.23% | 1.95% |
| ARISTA NETWORKS | 0.18% | 2.32% |
| Only in BALQ | Only in FGSI |
|---|---|
| APPLE 7.63% | Newmont Corporation 2.70% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY 5.06% | DexCom, Inc. 2.28% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 4.76% | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. 2.22% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.31% | Target Corporation 2.22% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A 3.44% | CME Group Inc. 2.21% |
| ALPHABET CLASS C 3.09% | ResMed Inc. 2.21% |
| TESLA INC 2.73% | Garmin Ltd. 2.15% |
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 2.70% | Seagate Technology Holdings Plc 2.15% |
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 Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALQ | FGSI | BALQ | FGSI | BALQ | FGSI | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | +2.4% | 2.8% | 2.1% | +1.9 pts | +0.2 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +10.0% | 6.5% | 4.4% | +3.0 pts | −8.0 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +5.3% | not published | 8.1% | not published | −11.3 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +11.9% | 8.5% | 9.8% | +5.3 pts | −14.3 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | FGSI FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | First Trust |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 8.6% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.85% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 8.1% |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | −3.2% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +5.3% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −11.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 289 days | 449 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $2m |
BALQ in plain words
Over the period since launch on Dec 3, 2025 to Sep 18, 2026, BALQ paid 8.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 11.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +21.4%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +16.1% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.9%, paid monthly.
FGSI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, FGSI paid 8.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 3.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.3%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.6%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, BALQ or FGSI?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and FGSI charges 0.85%, so BALQ 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, BALQ against FGSI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-fgsi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.