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.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

BALQ vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

BALQ and QYLD both write options for income.

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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF.

BALQ on its own →QYLD on its own →

At a glance

10.0%

BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

12.3%

QYLD cash paid, 1 year

+15.6%

BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

+16.5%

QYLD total return, 1 year

BALQ · since launch to Nov 4, 2026 4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ

+15.6%

QQQ

+11.5%

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.

QYLD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD

+16.5%

QQQ

+12.3%

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% of it arrived as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

12.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +16.5%. QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +16.5%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALQ costs 0.25 points a year less; QYLD is far larger, $8.5bn against $38m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	BALQ	QYLD
Paid and earned
Measure	BALQ	QYLD
Total return, 1 year	not published	+16.5%
Price change	rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)	rose 3.3% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate	97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment	99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	BALQ	QYLD
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	BALQ	QYLD
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$38m	$8.5bn
Holdings
Measure	BALQ	QYLD
Holdings in common	61%

Method

What they share

61%

By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and QYLD hold 61% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

61% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ QYLD

NVIDIA 8.33% 8.20%

APPLE 7.82% 7.65%

MICROSOFT 7.46% 5.82%

AMAZON.COM INC 5.04% 4.93%

MICRON TECHNOLOGY 4.74% 4.32%

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.10% 3.62%

BROADCOM INC 2.99% 3.11%

META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.09% 2.78%

ALPHABET CLASS A 2.75% 3.50%

TESLA INC 2.88% 2.62%

WALMART 2.97% 2.53%

ALPHABET CLASS C 2.44% 3.28%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in BALQ

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES COR 2.10%

APPLIED MATERIAL INC 1.71%

GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP 0.82%

VALERO ENERGY CORP 0.79%

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC 0.74%

LOCKHEED MARTIN 0.65%

MORGAN STANLEY 0.63%

MERCK & CO INC 0.57%

Only in QYLD

APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. 1.88%

NETFLIX, INC. 1.41%

PALO ALTO NETWORKS, INC. 1.26%

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED 1.17%

KLA CORPORATION 1.11%

LINDE PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY 1.03%

AMGEN INC. 0.97%

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. 0.97%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

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 8.5% 12.2%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.60%

Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 12.3%

Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +3.3%

Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +16.5%

Benchmark return, 1 year +11.5% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +12.3%

Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +4.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 99%

Age 336 days 12.9 years

Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 3, 2026 and QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $43m $8.5bn

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

Window by window: BALQ vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	BALQ	QYLD	BALQ	QYLD	BALQ	QYLD
3 months	−3.8%	+2.4%	2.1%	3.0%	−0.3 pts	+5.9 pts
6 months	+1.3%	+5.4%	5.2%	6.0%	+1.7 pts	+5.8 pts
1 year	–	+16.5%	–	12.3%	–	+4.2 pts
3 years	–	+52.7%	–	37.9%	–	−38.6 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · QYLD Dec 2013	+15.6%	+194.8%	10.0%	117.5%	+4.1 pts	−610.5 pts

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Alert

About each fund

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.

QYLD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.2%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

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

BALQ vs QRMI BALQ vs GPIQ BALQ vs QQQI BALQ vs JEPQ QYLD vs QYLG QYLD vs TDAQ QYLD vs IQQQ QYLD vs XQQI

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →BALQ on its own →QYLD on its own →BALQ dividend history →BALQ holdings →QYLD dividend history →QYLD holdings →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 ↗

QYLD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QYLD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QYLD 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Global X page for QYLD ↗

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 QYLD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-qyld

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