Which is cheaper, BALQ or QXQ?

BALQ charges 0.35% a year and QXQ charges 0.98%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 12, 2026.

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BALQ vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return

Return, fees and overlap, side by side.

Return gap

+1.2 pts

6 months to Nov 12, 2026: BALQ ahead, total return

Fee gap

0.63 pts

A year: BALQ 0.35%, QXQ 0.98%, per filings dated Jan 5, 2026 and Apr 29, 2026

Overlap

–

No book read for both funds

Net flow

–

Needs daily flows for both funds

Pair scorecard

BALQ costs 0.63 points a year less.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	BALQ	QXQ
Paid and earned
Measure	BALQ	QXQ
Total return, 1 year	not published	+12.1%
Price change	rose 4.9% (since Dec 3, 2025)	fell 4.7% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate	97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	BALQ	QXQ
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	BALQ	QXQ
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.98%
Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 11, 2026 and QXQ as of Aug 31, 2026	$44m	$82m
Holdings
Measure	BALQ	QXQ
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Key numbers

10.0%

BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

15.1%

QXQ cash paid, 1 year

+15.4%

BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

+12.1%

QXQ total return, 1 year

BALQ · since launch to Nov 12, 2026 4.5 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ

+15.4%

QQQ

+10.9%

4.5 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +4.9%, total +15.4%, QQQ +10.9%, +4.5 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+10.9%

BALQ

+15.4%

10.0% of it arrived as cash

4.5 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.5 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +4.9%, total +15.4%, QQQ +10.9%, +4.5 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+10.9%

BALQ

+15.4%

10.0% cash

4.5 pts ahead of QQQ

10.0% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +4.9%, total +15.4%, QQQ +10.9%, +4.5 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QXQ · 1 year to Nov 12, 2026 0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ

+12.1%

QQQ

+11.3%

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+11.3%

QXQ

+12.1%

15.1% of it arrived as cash

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+11.3%

QXQ

+12.1%

15.1% as cash

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

15.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Side by side

BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly QXQ SGI Enhanced Nasdaq-100 ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying quarterly

Issuer iShares SGI

Strategy covered call covered call

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly quarterly

Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 1.0%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.98%

Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 15.1%

Price change, 1 year +4.9% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −4.7%

Total return, 1 year +15.4% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +12.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +10.9% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +11.3%

Ahead or behind +4.5 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +0.8 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 97% not published

Age 344 days 2.4 years

Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 11, 2026 and QXQ as of Aug 31, 2026 $44m $82m

As of Nov 12, 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

Window by window: BALQ vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	BALQ	QXQ	BALQ	QXQ	BALQ	QXQ
3 months	−5.5%	−5.4%	2.0%	0.2%	+0.4 pts	+0.5 pts
6 months	−2.6%	−3.8%	5.0%	0.5%	+1.6 pts	+0.4 pts
1 year	–	+12.1%	–	15.1%	–	+0.8 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · QXQ Jun 2024	+15.4%	+47.7%	10.0%	22.8%	+4.5 pts	+2.2 pts

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Alert

About each fund

BALQ

Over the period from its first trade on Dec 3, 2025 to Nov 12, 2026, BALQ paid 10.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.4%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +10.9% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.5 pts. At its price on Nov 12, 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.

QXQ

Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, QXQ paid 15.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +12.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +11.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 0.8 pts. At its price on Nov 12, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 1.0%, paid quarterly.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, BALQ or QXQ?: BALQ charges 0.35% a year and QXQ charges 0.98%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BALQ vs QRMI BALQ vs QLDY BALQ vs QQQY BALQ vs QDTY QXQ vs XQQI QXQ vs ROCQ QXQ vs FTQI QXQ vs QYLD

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →BALQ on its own →QXQ on its own →BALQ dividend history →BALQ holdings →QXQ dividend history →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

BALQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BALQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

BALQ 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

iShares page for BALQ ↗

QXQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QXQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

SGI website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BALQ against QXQ, data as of Nov 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-qxq

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.

BALQ and QXQ both write options for income.

BALQ on its own →QXQ on its own →

Growth of 100

BALQ and QXQ

Total return, distributions reinvested, 6 months.

BALQ −2.6%QXQ −3.8%

May 14, 2026Nov 12, 2026

BALQ −2.6%, QXQ −3.8%: BALQ +1.2 pts ahead, 6 months, May 14, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026.