Data as of .
BALQ vs XPAY: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and XPAY both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and XPAY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in BALQ | Only in XPAY |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA 8.62% | SPY 02/12/2027 33.47 C 13.75% |
| APPLE 7.63% | SPY 07/16/2027 36.7 C 11.79% |
| MICROSOFT 6.72% | SPY 03/12/2027 33.67 C 11.51% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY 5.06% | SPY 04/16/2027 33.87 C 11.49% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 4.76% | SPY 06/11/2027 37.11 C 10.07% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.31% | SPY 01/15/2027 33.21 C 6.96% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A 3.44% | SPY 12/11/2026 33.1 C 6.40% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.31% | SPY 09/10/2027 37.99 C 5.57% |
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 | XPAY | BALQ | XPAY | BALQ | XPAY | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | +2.0% | 2.8% | 5.0% | +1.9 pts | −0.3 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +17.8% | 6.5% | 11.1% | +3.0 pts | −0.2 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +15.7% | not published | 19.9% | not published | −0.9 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +34.7% | 8.5% | 37.5% | +5.3 pts | −2.3 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | XPAY Roundhill S&P 500 Target 20 Managed Distribution ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | Roundhill |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 20.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.49% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 19.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | −5.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +15.7% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −0.9 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 289 days | 687 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $179m |
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.
XPAY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XPAY paid 19.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 5.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.7%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 20.8%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, BALQ or XPAY?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and XPAY charges 0.49%, 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 XPAY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xpay Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.