Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs LOCT: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and LOCT both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $11m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - October.
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, 2026.9 pts behind VOO
LOCT over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price +0.4%, total +5.8%, VOO +14.8%, −9.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
VOO
+14.8%
LOCT
+5.8%
5.2% of it arrived as cash
9 pts behind VOO
Total return, distributions reinvested
9 pts behind VOO
LOCT over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price +0.4%, total +5.8%, VOO +14.8%, −9.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
VOO
+14.8%
LOCT
+5.8%
9 pts behind VOO
5.2% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. LOCT over 1 year: paid 5.2%, price +0.4%, total +5.8%, VOO +14.8%, −9.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.44 points a year less; BALQ is 3.9 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | LOCT |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +5.8% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | rose 0.4% (1 year) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 35% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO |
| Against its benchmark, same days | ahead by 4.1 pts | behind by 9.0 pts |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.79% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $43m | $11m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Risk and return
Dec 12, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 46 weekly returnsFrom Dec 2025 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +16.8% to +4.6%. LOCT fell less at its worst: −1.1% to −9.3%.
Full scorecard
3 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BALQ | LOCT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +16.8% | +4.6% | BALQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Price return | +7.0% | −0.3% | BALQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Max drawdown | −9.3% | −1.1% | LOCT | 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 LOCT 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 | LOCT | BALQ | LOCT | BALQ | LOCT |
| 3 months | −3.8% | +1.2% | 2.1% | 1.3% | −0.3 pts | +1.3 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +2.4% | 5.2% | 2.6% | +1.7 pts | −2.6 pts |
| 1 year | – | +5.8% | – | 5.2% | – | −9.0 pts |
| 3 years | – | +17.9% | – | 16.8% | – | −65.4 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · LOCT Oct 2023 | +15.6% | +19.3% | 10.0% | 17.5% | +4.1 pts | −67.1 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.
LOCT
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LOCT paid 5.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.8%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.0 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.8%, paid monthly. Innovator estimates that 35% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 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.
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ETFIQ, BALQ against LOCT, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-loct
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against LOCT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-loct
[BALQ against LOCT (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-loct)
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