Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs KYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and KYLD both write options for income.
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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $47m for Kurv High 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.Not measured
KYLD over 1 year: paid 25.2%, price −28.6%, total −5.0%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
KYLD
−5.0%
Total return, distributions reinvested
Not measured
KYLD over 1 year: paid 25.2%, price −28.6%, total −5.0%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
KYLD
−5.0%
25.2% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. KYLD over 1 year: paid 25.2%, price −28.6%, total −5.0%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.73 points a year less; KYLD is 1.1 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | KYLD |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | −5.0% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 21.4% (6 months) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 100% of the Oct 29, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | its own holdings |
| Against its benchmark, same days | ahead by 4.1 pts | ahead by 7.7 pts |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 1.08% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $43m | $47m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and KYLD hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
9% 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 | KYLD | BALQ | KYLD | BALQ | KYLD |
| 3 months | −3.8% | −13.3% | 2.1% | 6.2% | −0.3 pts | +4.1 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | −10.9% | 5.2% | 11.9% | +1.7 pts | +7.6 pts |
| 1 year | – | −5.0% | – | 25.2% | – | not measured |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · KYLD Oct 2025 | +15.6% | −10.9% | 10.0% | 23.6% | +4.1 pts | not measured |
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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.
No 1-year comparison: it had filed no holdings by Nov 4, 2025, the year's first day. KYLD's own holdings, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Aug 31, 2026) returned −18.6% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 7.7 pts.
Over the 6 months to Nov 4, 2026, KYLD paid 11.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 21.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −10.9%. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 30.4%, paid weekly. Kurv estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 29, 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 KYLD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-kyld
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against KYLD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-kyld
[BALQ against KYLD (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-kyld)
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