Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs XSPI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and XSPI both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $140m on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Boosted S&P 500 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.About even with SPY
XSPI since launch: paid 13.9%, price −2.3%, total +12.4%, SPY +12.1%, +0.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+12.1%
XSPI
+12.4%
13.9% of it arrived as cash
about even with SPY
Total return, distributions reinvested
About even with SPY
XSPI since launch: paid 13.9%, price −2.3%, total +12.4%, SPY +12.1%, +0.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+12.1%
XSPI
+12.4%
13.9% as cash
about even with SPY
13.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. XSPI since launch: paid 13.9%, price −2.3%, total +12.4%, SPY +12.1%, +0.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.63 points a year less; XSPI is 3.1 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | XSPI |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 2.3% (since Feb 3, 2026) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 98% of the Oct 9, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | S&P 500, measured through SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.98% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 28, 2026 | $45m | $140m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 53% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and XSPI hold 53% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.
half
53% 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 | XSPI | BALQ | XSPI | BALQ | XSPI |
| 3 months | −3.8% | +1.1% | 2.1% | 4.2% | −0.3 pts | +1.2 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +7.0% | 5.2% | 8.5% | +1.7 pts | +2.0 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · XSPI Feb 2026 | +15.6% | +12.4% | 10.0% | 13.9% | +4.1 pts | +0.3 pts |
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.
XSPI
Over the period from its first trade on Feb 3, 2026 to Nov 4, 2026, XSPI paid 13.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 2.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +12.4%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +12.1% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 16.6%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 98% 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, BALQ against XSPI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xspi
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against XSPI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xspi
[BALQ against XSPI (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-xspi)
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