Data as of .
BALQ vs SPIN: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and SPIN both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and SPIN hold 50% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | BALQ | SPIN |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | 8.62% | 9.87% |
| MICROSOFT | 6.72% | 7.06% |
| APPLE | 7.63% | 6.03% |
| AMAZON.COM INC | 4.76% | 4.87% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A | 3.44% | 5.65% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A | 3.31% | 3.14% |
| BROADCOM INC | 2.99% | 3.23% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY | 5.06% | 2.91% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES | 4.31% | 2.61% |
| APPLIED MATERIAL INC | 1.90% | 1.52% |
| ALPHABET CLASS C | 3.09% | 0.84% |
| PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES CLASS A | 1.96% | 0.69% |
| Only in BALQ | Only in SPIN |
|---|---|
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 2.70% | JPMORGAN CHASE + CO 2.09% |
| INTEL CORPORATION 2.62% | EXXONMOBIL HOLDINGS CORP 2.07% |
| CISCO SYSTEMS INC 2.15% | ELI LILLY + CO 2.00% |
| CASH COLLATERAL MSFUT USD 1.46% | VISA INC CLASS A SHARES 1.47% |
| SANDISK 1.19% | AMPHENOL CORP CL A 1.28% |
| MARVELL TECHNOLOGY 1.04% | BANK OF AMERICA CORP 1.25% |
| WESTERN DIGITAL CORP 0.85% | WABTEC CORP 1.15% |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 0.83% | S+P GLOBAL INC 1.14% |
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 | SPIN | BALQ | SPIN | BALQ | SPIN | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | +3.7% | 2.8% | 0.8% | +1.9 pts | +1.4 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +12.3% | 6.5% | 3.2% | +3.0 pts | −5.8 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +11.3% | not published | 5.2% | not published | −5.2 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +28.5% | 8.5% | 15.2% | +5.3 pts | −13.7 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | SPIN State Street(R) US Equity Premium Income ETF Covered call on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | State Street |
| Strategy | covered call | covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 2.7% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.25% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 5.2% |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | +5.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +11.3% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −5.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 289 days | 743 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $48m |
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.
SPIN in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SPIN paid 5.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.3%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 5.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 2.7%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, BALQ or SPIN?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and SPIN charges 0.25%, so SPIN 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 SPIN, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-spin Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.