Data as of .
BALQ vs XQQI: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and XQQI both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and XQQI hold 69% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | BALQ | XQQI |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | 8.62% | 8.70% |
| APPLE | 7.63% | 7.91% |
| MICROSOFT | 6.72% | 5.94% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY | 5.06% | 5.12% |
| AMAZON.COM INC | 4.76% | 4.39% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES | 4.31% | 4.08% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A | 3.44% | 3.28% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A | 3.31% | 3.27% |
| ALPHABET CLASS C | 3.09% | 3.02% |
| BROADCOM INC | 2.99% | 2.75% |
| TESLA INC | 2.73% | 3.01% |
| INTEL CORPORATION | 2.62% | 2.44% |
| Only in BALQ | Only in XQQI |
|---|---|
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 2.70% | Netflix Inc 1.41% |
| CASH COLLATERAL MSFUT USD 1.46% | Palo Alto Networks Inc 1.36% |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 0.83% | Crowdstrike Holdings Inc 1.13% |
| CHEVRON 0.72% | Texas Instruments Inc 1.12% |
| GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP 0.71% | KLA CORP 1.08% |
| SS AND C TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS 0.59% | Linde PLC 0.97% |
| COCA-COLA 0.56% | Amgen Inc 0.96% |
| VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC 0.52% | Seagate Technology Holdings PLC 0.90% |
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 | XQQI | BALQ | XQQI | BALQ | XQQI | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | −2.7% | 2.8% | 4.8% | +1.9 pts | −0.2 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +21.8% | 6.5% | 11.4% | +3.0 pts | −2.4 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +14.3% | 8.5% | 13.7% | +5.3 pts | −2.9 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | XQQI NEOS Boosted Nasdaq-100(R) High Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | NEOS |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 20.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.98% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 13.7% (since launch on Feb 3, 2026) |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | −0.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +14.3% (since launch on Feb 3, 2026) |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +17.3% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −2.9 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 100% |
| Age | 289 days | 227 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $351m |
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.
XQQI in plain words
Over the period since launch on Feb 3, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, XQQI paid 13.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.3%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +17.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 2.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 20.5%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Jul 10, 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 XQQI?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and XQQI charges 0.98%, 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 XQQI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xqqi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.