Data as of .
BALQ vs WDTE: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and WDTE both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and WDTE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in BALQ | Only in WDTE |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA 8.62% | Spx Us 12/18/26 C600 92.83% |
| APPLE 7.63% | First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 6.61% |
| MICROSOFT 6.72% | Cash & Other 0.69% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY 5.06% | Spx 09/21/2026 7674.22 C 0.11% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 4.76% | Spx 09/21/2026 7650.5 C -0.24% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.31% | |
| ALPHABET CLASS A 3.44% | |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.31% |
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 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALQ | WDTE | BALQ | WDTE | BALQ | WDTE | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | +3.2% | 2.8% | 7.4% | +1.9 pts | +0.9 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +17.3% | 6.5% | 15.7% | +3.0 pts | −0.7 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +15.8% | not published | 28.0% | not published | −0.8 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +49.2% | not published | 77.8% | not published | −29.2 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +49.2% | 8.5% | 77.8% | +5.3 pts | −29.2 pts |
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | Defiance |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 29.9% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 1.03% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 28.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | −14.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +15.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −0.8 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 38% |
| Age | 289 days | 1095 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $71m |
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.
WDTE in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, WDTE paid 28.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 14.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.8%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 29.9%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 38% of the distribution paid Sep 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
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
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 WDTE, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-wdte Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.