Data as of .
BALQ vs XISE: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and XISE both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and XISE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in BALQ | Only in XISE |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA 8.62% | 2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 0.08 98.96% |
| APPLE 7.63% | 2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 761.61 5.02% |
| MICROSOFT 6.72% | US Dollar 1.19% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY 5.06% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 01/28/2027 0.55% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 4.76% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 02/25/2027 0.55% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.31% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 10/29/2026 0.55% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A 3.44% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 12/01/2026 0.55% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.31% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 12/31/2026 0.55% |
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.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BALQ | XISE | BALQ | XISE | BALQ | XISE | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | +1.2% | 2.8% | 2.0% | +1.9 pts | −1.1 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +4.9% | 6.5% | 3.6% | +3.0 pts | −13.2 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +6.1% | not published | 6.5% | not published | −10.5 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +20.9% | not published | 19.1% | not published | −57.5 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +21.1% | 8.5% | 19.2% | +5.3 pts | −57.0 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | XISE FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September Buffer with income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | First Trust |
| Strategy | covered call | buffer with income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 6.0% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.85% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 6.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | −0.6% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +6.1% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −10.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 289 days | 1096 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $32m |
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.
XISE in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XISE paid 6.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +6.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.0%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, BALQ or XISE?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, 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 XISE, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xise Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.