Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs FTHI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and FTHI both write options for income.
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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $2.5bn for First Trust BuyWrite 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%
10.0% cash
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, 2026.6.7 pts behind SPY
FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+14.8%
FTHI
+8.1%
8.9% of it arrived as cash
6.7 pts behind SPY
Total return, distributions reinvested
6.7 pts behind SPY
FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+14.8%
FTHI
+8.1%
8.9% cash
6.7 pts behind SPY
8.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.40 points a year less; FTHI is far larger, $2.5bn against $43m.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | FTHI |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +8.1% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 1.2% (1 year) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 92% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | S&P 500, measured through SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.75% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $43m | $2.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 39% | |
Risk and return
Dec 12, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 46 weekly returnsFrom Dec 2025 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +16.8% to +6.5%. FTHI fell less at its worst: −4.9% to −9.3%.
Full scorecard
3 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BALQ | FTHI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +16.8% | +6.5% | BALQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Price return | +7.0% | −1.1% | BALQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Max drawdown | −9.3% | −4.9% | FTHI | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 46 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and FTHI hold 39% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.
half
39% 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 | FTHI | BALQ | FTHI | BALQ | FTHI |
| 3 months | −3.8% | −0.5% | 2.1% | 2.2% | −0.3 pts | −0.3 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +2.5% | 5.2% | 4.4% | +1.7 pts | −2.5 pts |
| 1 year | – | +8.1% | – | 8.9% | – | −6.7 pts |
| 3 years | – | +48.1% | – | 29.7% | – | −34.8 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · FTHI Jan 2014 | +15.6% | +155.0% | 10.0% | 84.3% | +4.1 pts | −262.6 pts |
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No client brief for this pair: ETFIQ prints no one-year total return for BALQ.
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.
FTHI
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.0%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 92% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 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 FTHI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-fthi
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against FTHI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-fthi
[BALQ against FTHI (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-fthi)
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