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.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

BALQ vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return

BALQ and XISE both write options for income.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $33m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September.

BALQ on its own →XISE on its own →

At a glance

10.0%

BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

6.1%

XISE cash paid, 1 year

+15.6%

BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

+7.0%

XISE 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.

XISE · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE

+7.0%

VOO

+14.8%

7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XISE

+7.0%

6.1% of it arrived as cash

7.8 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XISE

+7.0%

7.8 pts behind VOO

6.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +15.6%. XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 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 1.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	BALQ	XISE
Paid and earned
Measure	BALQ	XISE
Total return, 1 year	not published	+7.0%
Price change	rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)	rose 0.7% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate	97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 3, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	BALQ	XISE
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO
Cost and size
Measure	BALQ	XISE
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$43m	$33m
Holdings
Measure	BALQ	XISE
Holdings in common	0%

Method

What they share

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

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ XISE

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 XISE

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 0.08 98.27%

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 761.61 5.23%

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 685.44 -2.83%

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 761.61 -7.76%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

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 VOO, paying monthly

Issuer iShares First Trust

Strategy covered call buffer with income

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 6.8%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.85%

Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 6.1%

Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +0.7%

Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +7.0%

Benchmark return, 1 year +11.5% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +14.8%

Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −7.8 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 0%

Age 336 days 3.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $43m $33m

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 XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	BALQ	XISE	BALQ	XISE	BALQ	XISE
3 months	−3.8%	+1.4%	2.1%	1.6%	−0.3 pts	+1.6 pts
6 months	+1.3%	+2.9%	5.2%	3.1%	+1.7 pts	−2.1 pts
1 year	–	+7.0%	–	6.1%	–	−7.8 pts
3 years	–	+21.3%	–	19.1%	–	−62.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · XISE Sep 2023	+15.6%	+22.3%	10.0%	19.7%	+4.1 pts	−57.3 pts

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Alert

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.

XISE

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XISE paid 6.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.0%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 7.8 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.8%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 3, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

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

BALQ vs SDTY BALQ vs XIMR BALQ vs XIJN BALQ vs LJAN XISE vs IQQQ XISE vs XQQI XISE vs ROCQ XISE vs KIQQ

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →BALQ on its own →XISE on its own →BALQ dividend history →BALQ holdings →XISE dividend history →XISE holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

BALQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BALQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

BALQ 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

iShares page for BALQ ↗

XISE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XISE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

XISE 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for XISE ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, BALQ against XISE, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xise

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.