Data as of .
BALQ vs QYLD: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and QYLD both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and QYLD hold 68% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | BALQ | QYLD |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | 8.62% | 8.54% |
| APPLE | 7.63% | 7.82% |
| MICROSOFT | 6.72% | 5.84% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY | 5.06% | 5.05% |
| AMAZON.COM INC | 4.76% | 4.36% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES | 4.31% | 4.02% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A | 3.44% | 3.27% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A | 3.31% | 3.15% |
| ALPHABET CLASS C | 3.09% | 3.02% |
| TESLA INC | 2.73% | 3.05% |
| BROADCOM INC | 2.99% | 2.71% |
| INTEL CORPORATION | 2.62% | 2.51% |
| Only in BALQ | Only in QYLD |
|---|---|
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 2.70% | NETFLIX INC 1.31% |
| CASH COLLATERAL MSFUT USD 1.46% | PALO ALTO NETWORKS INC 1.30% |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 0.83% | TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC 1.08% |
| CHEVRON 0.72% | CROWDSTRIKE HOLDINGS INC - A 1.07% |
| GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP 0.71% | KLA CORP 1.02% |
| SS AND C TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS 0.59% | CASH 1.01% |
| COCA-COLA 0.56% | LINDE PLC 0.93% |
| VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC 0.52% | AMGEN INC 0.92% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALQ | QYLD | BALQ | QYLD | BALQ | QYLD | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | +3.2% | 2.8% | 3.0% | +1.9 pts | +5.7 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +14.5% | 6.5% | 6.3% | +3.0 pts | −9.7 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +23.0% | not published | 12.5% | not published | +1.2 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +55.3% | not published | 36.6% | not published | −42.9 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +198.3% | 8.5% | 116.0% | +5.3 pts | −644.6 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | QYLD Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | Global X |
| Strategy | covered call | covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 11.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.60% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 12.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | +9.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +23.0% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | +1.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 100% |
| Age | 289 days | 4663 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $8.5bn |
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.
QYLD in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QYLD paid 12.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 9.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +23.0%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.8%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Aug 27, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, BALQ or QYLD?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, 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 QYLD, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-qyld Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.