Data as of .
BALQ vs YMAG: which paid, and which earned it?
BALQ and YMAG both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and YMAG hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in BALQ | Only in YMAG |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA 8.62% | YieldMax NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF 14.58% |
| APPLE 7.63% | YieldMax AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF 14.24% |
| MICROSOFT 6.72% | YieldMax Tsla Option Income ETF 14.21% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY 5.06% | YieldMax Amzn Option Income ETF 14.11% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 4.76% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income Strategy ETF 14.11% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.31% | YieldMax Meta Option Income Strategy ETF 13.99% |
| ALPHABET CLASS A 3.44% | YieldMax MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF 13.90% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.31% | First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 0.87% |
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 | YMAG | BALQ | YMAG | BALQ | YMAG | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | +6.1% | 2.8% | 9.4% | +1.9 pts | −1.6 pts |
| 6 months | +27.2% | +15.4% | 6.5% | 21.1% | +3.0 pts | −5.3 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +9.7% | not published | 35.5% | not published | −1.5 pts |
| Since launch | +21.4% | +70.7% | 8.5% | 89.1% | +5.3 pts | −34.1 pts |
| BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | YMAG YieldMax(R) Magnificent 7 Fund of Option Income ETFs Synthetic covered call on MAGS, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | YieldMax |
| Strategy | covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | Magnificent Seven (MAGS) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.9% | 30.9% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 1.34% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | 35.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | +11.9% | −28.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.4% (since launch on Dec 3, 2025) | +9.7% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.1% | +11.2% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.3 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 80% |
| Age | 289 days | 962 days |
| Net assets | $29m | $297m |
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.
YMAG in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, YMAG paid 35.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 28.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.7%. Magnificent Seven (MAGS) returned +11.2% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 1.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 30.9%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 80% of the distribution paid Sep 17, 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 YMAG?
- BALQ charges 0.35% a year and YMAG charges 1.34%, 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 YMAG, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-ymag Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.