Which is cheaper, BALQ or XRMI?

BALQ charges 0.35% a year and XRMI charges 0.60%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

BALQ vs XRMI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

BALQ and XRMI both write options for income.

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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $62m on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X S&P 500 Risk Managed Income ETF.

BALQ on its own →XRMI on its own →

At a glance

10.0%

BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

11.9%

XRMI cash paid, 1 year

+15.6%

BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

+8.7%

XRMI 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.

XRMI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 6.1 pts behind SPY

XRMI

+8.7%

SPY

+14.8%

6.1 pts behind SPY

XRMI over 1 year: paid 11.9%, price −3.8%, total +8.7%, SPY +14.8%, −6.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

XRMI

+8.7%

11.9% of it arrived as cash

6.1 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

6.1 pts behind SPY

XRMI over 1 year: paid 11.9%, price −3.8%, total +8.7%, SPY +14.8%, −6.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

XRMI

+8.7%

11.9% cash

6.1 pts behind SPY

11.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. XRMI over 1 year: paid 11.9%, price −3.8%, total +8.7%, SPY +14.8%, −6.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

BALQ costs 0.25 points a year less; XRMI is 1.6 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs XRMI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	BALQ	XRMI
Paid and earned
Measure	BALQ	XRMI
Total return, 1 year	not published	+8.7%
Price change	rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)	fell 3.8% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate	97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment	95% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	BALQ	XRMI
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	BALQ	XRMI
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$38m	$62m
Holdings
Measure	BALQ	XRMI
Holdings in common	50%

Method

What they share

50%

By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and XRMI hold 50% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

50% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ XRMI

NVIDIA 8.33% 7.63%

APPLE 7.82% 7.12%

MICROSOFT 7.46% 5.42%

AMAZON.COM INC 5.04% 4.17%

BROADCOM INC 2.99% 2.89%

ALPHABET CLASS A 2.75% 3.28%

ALPHABET CLASS C 2.44% 2.64%

META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.09% 1.92%

MICRON TECHNOLOGY 4.74% 1.46%

TESLA INC 2.88% 1.37%

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.10% 1.22%

WALMART 2.97% 0.76%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in BALQ

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES COR 2.10%

APPLIED MATERIAL INC 1.71%

TJX 0.55%

NEUROCRINE BIOSCIENCES 0.48%

MKS 0.44%

SS AND C TECHNOLOGIES HOLDINGS 0.40%

EXELIXIS INC 0.39%

EASTMAN CHEMICAL 0.38%

Only in XRMI

JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. 1.48%

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. 1.47%

ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 1.42%

EXXONMOBIL HOLDINGS CORPORATION 1.01%

JOHNSON & JOHNSON 0.97%

VISA INC. 0.95%

MASTERCARD INCORPORATED 0.72%

APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. 0.63%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly XRMI Global X S&P 500 Risk Managed Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer iShares Global X

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 10.6%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.60%

Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 11.9%

Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −3.8%

Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +8.7%

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

Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −6.1 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 95%

Age 336 days 5.2 years

Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 3, 2026 and XRMI as of Oct 12, 2026 $43m $62m

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 XRMI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	BALQ	XRMI	BALQ	XRMI	BALQ	XRMI
3 months	−3.8%	+1.6%	2.1%	2.9%	−0.3 pts	+1.8 pts
6 months	+1.3%	+5.4%	5.2%	6.0%	+1.7 pts	+0.4 pts
1 year	–	+8.7%	–	11.9%	–	−6.1 pts
3 years	–	+30.8%	–	35.1%	–	−52.2 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · XRMI Aug 2021	+15.6%	+17.6%	10.0%	45.0%	+4.1 pts	−66.7 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.

XRMI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XRMI paid 11.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 3.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.7%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 10.6%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 95% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, BALQ or XRMI?: BALQ charges 0.35% a year and XRMI charges 0.60%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BALQ vs WDTE BALQ vs XYLG BALQ vs OEI BALQ vs SPIN XRMI vs XQQI XRMI vs ROCQ XRMI vs KIQQ XRMI vs QDTE

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →S&P 500 (SPY) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →BALQ on its own →XRMI on its own →BALQ dividend history →BALQ holdings →XRMI dividend history →XRMI 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 ↗

XRMI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XRMI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

XRMI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Global X page for XRMI ↗

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 XRMI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xrmi

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