Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs YMAG: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and YMAG both write options for income.
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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $268m for YieldMax Magnificent 7 Fund of Option Income ETFs.
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, 2026.1.2 pts ahead of its own holdings
YMAG over 1 year: paid 33.4%, price −29.4%, total +5.8%, its own holdings +4.6%, +1.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
its own holdings
+4.6%
YMAG
+5.8%
33.4% of it arrived as cash
1.2 pts ahead of its own holdings
Total return, distributions reinvested
1.2 pts ahead of its own holdings
YMAG over 1 year: paid 33.4%, price −29.4%, total +5.8%, its own holdings +4.6%, +1.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
its own holdings
+4.6%
YMAG
+5.8%
1.2 pts ahead of its own holdings
33.4% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. YMAG over 1 year: paid 33.4%, price −29.4%, total +5.8%, its own holdings +4.6%, +1.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.99 points a year less; YMAG is 6.2 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | YMAG |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +5.8% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | fell 29.4% (1 year) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 11% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | its own holdings |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 1.34% |
| Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 | $43m | $268m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and YMAG hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.
half
0% 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 | YMAG | BALQ | YMAG | BALQ | YMAG |
| 3 months | −3.8% | +3.3% | 2.1% | 9.1% | −0.3 pts | +0.3 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +1.9% | 5.2% | 18.1% | +1.7 pts | −0.2 pts |
| 1 year | – | +5.8% | – | 33.4% | – | +1.2 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · YMAG Jan 2024 | +15.6% | +70.3% | 10.0% | 91.7% | +4.1 pts | not measured |
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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.
YMAG
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, YMAG paid 33.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 29.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.8%. YMAG's own holdings, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Nov 2, 2026) returned +4.6% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 31.4%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 11% of the distribution paid Nov 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).
Questions people ask
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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 YMAG, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-ymag
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against YMAG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-ymag
[BALQ against YMAG (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-ymag)
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