Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs TCAL: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and TCAL both write options for income.
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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $324m for T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation 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, 2026.3.4 pts behind its own stocks
TCAL over 1 year: paid 11.4%, price −1.2%, total +11.2%, its own stocks +14.6%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
its own stocks
+14.6%
TCAL
+11.2%
11.4% of it arrived as cash
3.4 pts behind its own stocks
Total return, distributions reinvested
3.4 pts behind its own stocks
TCAL over 1 year: paid 11.4%, price −1.2%, total +11.2%, its own stocks +14.6%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
its own stocks
+14.6%
TCAL
+11.2%
11.4% as cash
3.4 pts behind its own stocks
11.4% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. TCAL over 1 year: paid 11.4%, price −1.2%, total +11.2%, its own stocks +14.6%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
TCAL costs 0.01 points a year less; TCAL is 7.5 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | TCAL |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +11.2% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 1.2% (1 year) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | its own stocks |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.34% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $43m | $324m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 13% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and TCAL hold 13% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
13% 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 | TCAL | BALQ | TCAL | BALQ | TCAL |
| 3 months | −3.8% | +5.3% | 2.1% | 2.6% | −0.3 pts | −1.8 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +12.3% | 5.2% | 6.3% | +1.7 pts | −0.9 pts |
| 1 year | – | +11.2% | – | 11.4% | – | −3.5 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · TCAL Mar 2025 | +15.6% | +12.0% | 10.0% | 16.9% | +4.1 pts | not measured |
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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.
TCAL
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, TCAL paid 11.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.2%. TCAL's own stocks, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Jun 30, 2026) returned +14.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 13.0%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
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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 TCAL, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-tcal
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against TCAL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-tcal
[BALQ against TCAL (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-tcal)
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