Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

BALQ vs SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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BALQ and SDVD both write options for income.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $903m for FT Vest SMID Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF.

At a glance
10.0%
BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
9.7%
SDVD cash paid, 1 year
+15.6%
BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
+18.9%
SDVD 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%

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.
SDVD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.4 pts ahead of SDVY
SDVD
+18.9%
SDVY
+17.5%

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

SDVD over 1 year: paid 9.7%, price +8.6%, total +18.9%, SDVY +17.5%, +1.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SDVY

+17.5%

SDVD

+18.9%

9.7% of it arrived as cash

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

SDVD over 1 year: paid 9.7%, price +8.6%, total +18.9%, SDVY +17.5%, +1.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SDVY

+17.5%

SDVD

+18.9%

9.7% cash

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

9.7% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +18.9%. SDVD over 1 year: paid 9.7%, price +8.6%, total +18.9%, SDVY +17.5%, +1.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +18.9%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALQ costs 0.50 points a year less; SDVD is far larger, $903m against $43m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureBALQSDVD
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 yearnot published+18.9%
Price changerose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)rose 8.6% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment22% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkNasdaq-100, measured through QQQFirst Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF, measured through SDVY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.35%0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$43m$903m
Holdings
Holdings in common1%

Method

Risk and return

Dec 12, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 46 weekly returns
BALQ SDVD
Return
Total return edge BALQ +16.8% +9.6%
Price return edge BALQ +7.0% +1.5%
Risk
Max drawdown edge SDVD (slight) −9.3% −8.5%
Reading

From Dec 2025 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +16.8% to +9.6%. SDVD fell slightly less at its worst: −8.5% to −9.3%.

Full scorecard

3 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: BALQ vs SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureBALQSDVDEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+16.8%+9.6%BALQPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Price return+7.0%+1.5%BALQPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Max drawdown−9.3%−8.5%SDVD (slight)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

1%

By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and SDVD hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

1% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ SDVD
NEW YORK TIMES CLASS A 0.24% 0.80%
HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE 0.30% 0.22%
COMFORT SYSTEMS USA 0.21% 0.46%
HP INC 0.19% 0.43%
NETAPP INC 0.12% 0.80%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in BALQ
NVIDIA 8.33%
APPLE 7.82%
MICROSOFT 7.46%
AMAZON.COM INC 5.04%
MICRON TECHNOLOGY 4.74%
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.10%
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP 3.46%
META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.09%
Only in SDVD
The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. 1.09%
Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated 1.06%
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 1.06%
Veralto Corporation 1.05%
Assurant, Inc. 1.02%
Interparfums, Inc. 1.02%
National HealthCare Corporation 1.02%
VeriSign, Inc. 1.02%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly SDVD FT Vest SMID Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF · Writes calls on the Russell 2000, investing in the Nasdaq US Small-Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index, paying monthly
Strategy covered call dividend stocks with call overlay
Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 8.2%
Expense ratio 0.35% 0.85%
Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 9.7%
Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +8.6%
Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +18.9%
Benchmark return, 1 year +11.5% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +17.5%
Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +1.4 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 22%
Age 336 days 3.2 years
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $43m $903m

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 SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowBALQSDVDBALQSDVDBALQSDVD
3 months−3.8%−2.3%2.1%2.0%−0.3 pts+0.5 pts
6 months+1.3%+3.3%5.2%4.1%+1.7 pts+0.9 pts
1 year–+18.9%–9.7%–+1.4 pts
3 years–+60.8%–31.3%–+1.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · SDVD Aug 2023+15.6%+53.9%10.0%31.3%+4.1 pts+1.9 pts

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Client brief

No client brief for this pair: ETFIQ prints no one-year total return for BALQ.

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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.

SDVD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, SDVD paid 9.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.9%. First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY) returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.2%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 22% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, BALQ or SDVD?
BALQ charges 0.35% a year and SDVD charges 0.85%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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ETFIQ, BALQ against SDVD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-sdvd

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