Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs QQQI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and QQQI both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $15.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Nasdaq-100 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%
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, 2026.3.4 pts behind QQQ
QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.3%
QQQI
+8.9%
13.9% of it arrived as cash
3.4 pts behind QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
3.4 pts behind QQQ
QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.3%
QQQI
+8.9%
13.9% cash
3.4 pts behind QQQ
13.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.33 points a year less; QQQI is far larger, $15.5bn against $45m.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | QQQI |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +8.9% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 5.4% (1 year) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 100% of the Oct 23, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.68% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 28, 2026 | $45m | $15.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 65% | |
Risk and return
Dec 12, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 46 weekly returnsFrom Dec 2025 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +16.8% to +8.5%. QQQI fell less at its worst: −8.1% to −9.3%.
Full scorecard
3 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BALQ | QQQI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +16.8% | +8.5% | BALQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Price return | +7.0% | −4.7% | BALQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Max drawdown | −9.3% | −8.1% | QQQI | 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 QQQI hold 65% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.
half
65% 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 | QQQI | BALQ | QQQI | BALQ | QQQI |
| 3 months | −3.8% | −2.2% | 2.1% | 3.5% | −0.3 pts | +1.3 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | −0.2% | 5.2% | 6.9% | +1.7 pts | +0.1 pts |
| 1 year | – | +8.9% | – | 13.9% | – | −3.4 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · QQQI Jan 2024 | +15.6% | +53.8% | 10.0% | 41.2% | +4.1 pts | −11.2 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.
QQQI
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQI paid 13.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 5.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.9%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.7%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 23, 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 QQQI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-qqqi
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against QQQI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-qqqi
[BALQ against QQQI (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-qqqi)
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