Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs SPYI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and SPYI both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $12.7bn on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS S&P 500 High 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, 2026.0.8 pts behind SPY
SPYI over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price +1.1%, total +14.0%, SPY +14.8%, −0.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+14.8%
SPYI
+14.0%
12.1% of it arrived as cash
0.8 pts behind SPY
Total return, distributions reinvested
0.8 pts behind SPY
SPYI over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price +1.1%, total +14.0%, SPY +14.8%, −0.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+14.8%
SPYI
+14.0%
12.1% as cash
0.8 pts behind SPY
12.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. SPYI over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price +1.1%, total +14.0%, SPY +14.8%, −0.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.33 points a year less; SPYI is far larger, $12.7bn against $45m.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | SPYI |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +14.0% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | rose 1.1% (1 year) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 99% of the Oct 23, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | S&P 500, measured through SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.68% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 28, 2026 | $45m | $12.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 51% | |
Risk and return
Dec 12, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 46 weekly returnsFrom Dec 2025 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +16.8% to +11.0%. SPYI fell less at its worst: −6.9% to −9.3%.
Full scorecard
3 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BALQ | SPYI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +16.8% | +11.0% | BALQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Price return | +7.0% | −0.6% | BALQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Max drawdown | −9.3% | −6.9% | SPYI | 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
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and SPYI hold 51% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.
half
51% 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 | SPYI | BALQ | SPYI | BALQ | SPYI |
| 3 months | −3.8% | +1.1% | 2.1% | 2.9% | −0.3 pts | +1.3 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +5.8% | 5.2% | 6.0% | +1.7 pts | +0.7 pts |
| 1 year | – | +14.0% | – | 12.1% | – | −0.8 pts |
| 3 years | – | +62.0% | – | 39.3% | – | −20.9 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · SPYI Aug 2022 | +15.6% | +78.5% | 10.0% | 51.3% | +4.1 pts | −25.2 pts |
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No client brief for this pair: ETFIQ prints no one-year total return for BALQ.
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.
SPYI
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, SPYI paid 12.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 1.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.0%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.5%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Oct 23, 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.
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ETFIQ, BALQ against SPYI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-spyi
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against SPYI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-spyi
[BALQ against SPYI (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-spyi)
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