Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

BALQ vs XIMR: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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BALQ and XIMR both write options for income.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $26m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - March.

At a glance
10.0%
BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
7.0%
XIMR cash paid, 1 year
+15.6%
BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025
+7.9%
XIMR 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.
XIMR · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 6.9 pts behind VOO
XIMR
+7.9%
VOO
+14.8%

6.9 pts behind VOO

XIMR over 1 year: paid 7.0%, price +0.7%, total +7.9%, VOO +14.8%, −6.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XIMR

+7.9%

7.0% of it arrived as cash

6.9 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

6.9 pts behind VOO

XIMR over 1 year: paid 7.0%, price +0.7%, total +7.9%, VOO +14.8%, −6.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XIMR

+7.9%

6.9 pts behind VOO

7.0% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. XIMR over 1 year: paid 7.0%, price +0.7%, total +7.9%, VOO +14.8%, −6.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALQ costs 0.50 points a year less; BALQ is 1.7 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs XIMR: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureBALQXIMR
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 yearnot published+7.9%
Price changerose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)rose 0.7% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment60% of the Nov 3, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkNasdaq-100, measured through QQQVanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.35%0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$43m$26m
Holdings
Holdings in common0%

Method

Risk and return

Dec 12, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 46 weekly returns
BALQ XIMR
Return
Total return edge BALQ +16.8% +6.8%
Price return edge BALQ +7.0% +0.8%
Risk
Max drawdown edge XIMR −9.3% −0.5%
Reading

From Dec 2025 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +16.8% to +6.8%. XIMR fell less at its worst: −0.5% to −9.3%.

Full scorecard

3 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: BALQ vs XIMR: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureBALQXIMREdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+16.8%+6.8%BALQPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Price return+7.0%+0.8%BALQPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Max drawdown−9.3%−0.5%XIMRDeepest 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 XIMR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ XIMR
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 XIMR
2027-03-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 0.06 114.65%
2027-03-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 648.56 1.13%
2027-03-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 583.70 -0.61%
2027-03-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 648.56 -18.68%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly XIMR FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - March · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly
Strategy covered call buffer with income
Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 7.4%
Expense ratio 0.35% 0.85%
Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 7.0%
Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +0.7%
Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +7.9%
Benchmark return, 1 year +11.5% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +14.8%
Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −6.9 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 60%
Age 336 days 2.6 years
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $43m $26m

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 XIMR: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowBALQXIMRBALQXIMRBALQXIMR
3 months−3.8%+1.3%2.1%1.8%−0.3 pts+1.4 pts
6 months+1.3%+2.8%5.2%3.7%+1.7 pts−2.2 pts
1 year–+7.9%–7.0%–−6.9 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · XIMR Mar 2024+15.6%+20.0%10.0%17.4%+4.1 pts−33.3 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.

XIMR

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XIMR paid 7.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.9%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.9 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.4%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 60% of the distribution paid Nov 3, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, BALQ or XIMR?
BALQ charges 0.35% a year and XIMR charges 0.85%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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ETFIQ, BALQ against XIMR, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-ximr

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