Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs SCEP: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and SCEP both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $235m on Jun 30, 2026 for STERLING CAPITAL HEDGED EQUITY PREMIUM 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.Not measured
SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SCEP
+5.3%
6.1% of it arrived as cash
Total return, distributions reinvested
Not measured
SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SCEP
+5.3%
6.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.30 points a year less.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | SCEP |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 1.1% (6 months) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 100% of the Oct 5, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | its own stocks |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.65% |
| Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 3, 2026 and SCEP as of Jun 30, 2026 | $43m | $235m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 37% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and SCEP hold 37% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
37% 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 | SCEP | BALQ | SCEP | BALQ | SCEP |
| 3 months | −3.8% | −1.2% | 2.1% | 1.7% | −0.3 pts | +0.8 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +2.4% | 5.2% | 3.5% | +1.7 pts | +0.4 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · SCEP Dec 2025 | +15.6% | +5.3% | 10.0% | 6.1% | +4.1 pts | not measured |
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.
SCEP's own stocks, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Jun 30, 2026) returned +2.1% over the same days, so a holder was about even.
Over the 6 months to Nov 4, 2026, SCEP paid 3.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +2.4%. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.0%, paid monthly. Sterling Capital estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 5, 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, BALQ against SCEP, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-scep
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against SCEP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-scep
[BALQ against SCEP (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-scep)
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