Data as of .
BALQ vs JANQ: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and JANQ both write options for income.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALQ | JANQ | BALQ | JANQ | BALQ | JANQ | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | not published | 2.8% | not published | +1.9 pts | not published |
| 6 months | +27.2% | not published | 6.5% | not published | +3.0 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +21.4% | 0.0% | 8.5% | 0.0% | +5.3 pts | −0.8 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | JANQ Innovator Premium Income 40 Barrier ETF - January Defined income on SPY | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | Innovator |
| Strategy | covered call | defined income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | not established |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | not published |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.79% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 0.0% (since launch on Sep 10, 2026) |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | 0.0% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 0.0% (since launch on Sep 10, 2026) |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +0.8% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −0.8 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 289 days | 8 days |
| Net assets | $29m | not published |
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.
JANQ in plain words
Over the period since launch on Sep 10, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, JANQ paid 0.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned 0.0%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +0.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts.
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, BALQ or JANQ?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and JANQ charges 0.79%, 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 JANQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-janq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.