CAGE vs CAIQ: which paid, and which earned it?

CAGE and CAIQ both write options for income. Calamos Autocallable Growth ETF and Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF.

0.0%
CAGE cash paid, since launch
13.7%
CAIQ cash paid, since launch
+14.4%
CAGE total return, since launch
+19.6%
CAIQ total return, since launch
CAGE · since launch to Sep 30, 20265.2 pts ahead of SPY
CAGE
+14.4%
SPY
+9.2%

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

CAGE since launch: paid 0.0%, price +14.4%, total +14.4%, SPY +9.2%, +5.2 pts.

SPY

+9.2%

CAGE

+14.4%

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

CAGE since launch: paid 0.0%, price +14.4%, total +14.4%, SPY +9.2%, +5.2 pts.

SPY

+9.2%

CAGE

+14.4%

5.2 pts ahead of SPY

0.0% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. CAGE since launch: paid 0.0%, price +14.4%, total +14.4%, SPY +9.2%, +5.2 pts.

CAIQ · since launch to Sep 30, 20267.3 pts behind QQQ
CAIQ
+19.6%
QQQ
+26.9%

7.3 pts behind QQQ

CAIQ since launch: paid 13.7%, price +4.7%, total +19.6%, QQQ +26.9%, −7.3 pts.

QQQ

+26.9%

CAIQ

+19.6%

13.7% of it arrived as cash

7.3 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

7.3 pts behind QQQ

CAIQ since launch: paid 13.7%, price +4.7%, total +19.6%, QQQ +26.9%, −7.3 pts.

QQQ

+26.9%

CAIQ

+19.6%

7.3 pts behind QQQ

13.7% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +26.9%. CAIQ since launch: paid 13.7%, price +4.7%, total +19.6%, QQQ +26.9%, −7.3 pts.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, CAGE and CAIQ hold 100% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.

half

100% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding CAGE CAIQ
Calamos Tax-Aware Collateral ETF 100.00% 100.00%
Only in CAGE
Only in CAIQ

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed.

Performance, window by window

Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowCAGECAIQCAGECAIQCAGECAIQ
3 months+3.7%+2.6%0.0%2.9%+1.1 pts+0.5 pts
6 monthsnot published+18.4%not published8.0%not published−8.4 pts
Since launch
CAGE Apr 2026 · CAIQ Nov 2025
+14.4%+19.6%0.0%13.7%+5.2 pts−7.3 pts

CAGE and CAIQ over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

CAGE
Calamos Autocallable Growth ETF · Autocallable on SPY
CAIQ
Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF · Autocallable on QQQ, paying monthly
Issuer Calamos Calamos
Strategy autocallable autocallable
Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)
Pays not established monthly
Payout rate, annualized not published 17.5%
Expense ratio 0.74% 0.74%
Cash paid, 1 year 0.0% (since launch on Apr 16, 2026) 13.7% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025)
Price change, 1 year +14.4% +4.7%
Total return, 1 year +14.4% (since launch on Apr 16, 2026) +19.6% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025)
Benchmark return, 1 year +9.2% +26.9%
Ahead or behind +5.2 pts −7.3 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate not published not published
Age 167 days 314 days
Net assets $14m $167m

CAGE and CAIQ on the same fields, as of Sep 30, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

CAGE in plain words

Over the period since launch on Apr 16, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026, CAGE paid 0.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 14.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.4%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +9.2% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.2 pts.

CAIQ in plain words

Over the period since launch on Nov 20, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026, CAIQ paid 13.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +19.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +26.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 7.3 pts. At its price on Sep 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 17.5%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, CAGE or CAIQ?
CAGE charges 0.74% a year and CAIQ charges 0.74%, so CAGE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Cite this page

ETFIQ, CAGE against CAIQ, data as of Sep 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/cage-vs-caiq

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.