Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

BALQ vs WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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BALQ and WDTE both write options for income.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $69m for Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF.

At a glance
10.0%
BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
27.9%
WDTE cash paid, 1 year
+15.6%
BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
+14.1%
WDTE 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%

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.
WDTE · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 0.7 pts behind SPY
WDTE
+14.1%
SPY
+14.8%

0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

WDTE

+14.1%

27.9% of it arrived as cash

0.7 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

WDTE

+14.1%

27.9% as cash

0.7 pts behind SPY

27.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALQ costs 0.68 points a year less; WDTE is 1.6 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureBALQWDTE
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 yearnot published+14.1%
Price changerose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)fell 15.9% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment100% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkNasdaq-100, measured through QQQS&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.35%1.03%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$43m$69m
Holdings
Holdings in common0%

Method

Risk and return

Dec 12, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 46 weekly returns
BALQ WDTE
Return
Total return edge BALQ +16.8% +11.5%
Price return edge BALQ +7.0% −14.5%
Risk
Max drawdown edge WDTE −9.3% −7.2%
Reading

From Dec 2025 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +16.8% to +11.5%. WDTE fell less at its worst: −7.2% to −9.3%.

Full scorecard

3 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: BALQ vs WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureBALQWDTEEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+16.8%+11.5%BALQPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Price return+7.0%−14.5%BALQPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Max drawdown−9.3%−7.2%WDTEDeepest 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

0%

By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and WDTE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ WDTE
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 WDTE
Spx Us 12/18/26 C600 95.18%
Spx 11/05/2026 7710.15 C 0.14%
Spx 11/05/2026 7688.62 C -0.28%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly WDTE Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF · Option income on SPY, paying weekly
Strategy covered call option income
Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) S&P 500 (SPY)
Pays monthly weekly
Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 30.3%
Expense ratio 0.35% 1.03%
Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 27.9%
Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −15.9%
Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +14.1%
Benchmark return, 1 year +11.5% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +14.8%
Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −0.7 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 100%
Age 336 days 3.1 years
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $43m $69m

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 WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowBALQWDTEBALQWDTEBALQWDTE
3 months−3.8%−0.4%2.1%7.3%−0.3 pts−0.2 pts
6 months+1.3%+4.6%5.2%14.4%+1.7 pts−0.4 pts
1 year–+14.1%–27.9%–−0.7 pts
3 years–+50.8%–78.5%–−32.1 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · WDTE Sep 2023+15.6%+49.2%10.0%79.5%+4.1 pts−30.4 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.

WDTE

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, WDTE paid 27.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 15.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 30.3%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, BALQ or WDTE?
BALQ charges 0.35% a year and WDTE charges 1.03%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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ETFIQ, BALQ against WDTE, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-wdte

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