Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs XQQI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and XQQI both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $408m on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Boosted Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF.
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, 2026.4.9 pts behind QQQ
XQQI since launch: paid 17.0%, price −9.2%, total +7.7%, QQQ +12.6%, −4.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.6%
XQQI
+7.7%
17.0% of it arrived as cash
4.9 pts behind QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
4.9 pts behind QQQ
XQQI since launch: paid 17.0%, price −9.2%, total +7.7%, QQQ +12.6%, −4.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.6%
XQQI
+7.7%
4.9 pts behind QQQ
17.0% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. XQQI since launch: paid 17.0%, price −9.2%, total +7.7%, QQQ +12.6%, −4.9 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.63 points a year less; XQQI is 9.1 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | XQQI |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 9.2% (since Feb 3, 2026) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 100% of the Oct 9, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.98% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 28, 2026 | $45m | $408m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 66% | |
Risk and return
Feb 13, 2026 to Oct 30, 2026 · 37 weekly returnsFrom Feb 2026 to Oct 2026, BALQ returned more: +17.3% to +10.2%. BALQ fell less at its worst: −8.8% to −10.8%.
Full scorecard
3 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | BALQ | XQQI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +17.3% | +10.2% | BALQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Price return | +9.2% | −3.8% | BALQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Max drawdown | −8.8% | −10.8% | BALQ | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 37 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and XQQI hold 66% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.
half
66% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
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
| Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | BALQ | XQQI | BALQ | XQQI | BALQ | XQQI |
| 3 months | −3.8% | −4.1% | 2.1% | 5.0% | −0.3 pts | −0.6 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | −3.0% | 5.2% | 10.0% | +1.7 pts | −2.6 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · XQQI Feb 2026 | +15.6% | +7.7% | 10.0% | 17.0% | +4.1 pts | −4.9 pts |
No client brief for this pair: ETFIQ prints no one-year total return for BALQ or XQQI.
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.
XQQI
Over the period from its first trade on Feb 3, 2026 to Nov 4, 2026, XQQI paid 17.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 9.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.7%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 4.9 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 20.2%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 9, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).
Questions people ask
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.
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ETFIQ, BALQ against XQQI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xqqi
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against XQQI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xqqi
[BALQ against XQQI (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xqqi)
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