Data as of .
CAIQ vs QLDY: which paid, and which earned it?
CAIQ and QLDY both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, CAIQ and QLDY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in CAIQ | Only in QLDY |
|---|---|
| Calamos Tax-Aware Collateral ETF 100.00% | Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 94.80% |
| First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 4.77% | |
| United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.53% | |
| Ndxp Us 09/21/26 P29500 0.08% | |
| Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05% | |
| Cash & Other -0.06% | |
| Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 09/26 29650 -0.16% |
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 Apr 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAIQ | QLDY | CAIQ | QLDY | CAIQ | QLDY | |
| 3 months | −0.5% | −6.6% | 4.3% | 8.3% | +1.9 pts | −4.1 pts |
| 6 months | +16.5% | +20.1% | 9.5% | 18.7% | −7.7 pts | −4.2 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +10.6% | not published | 29.2% | not published | −11.2 pts |
| Since launch | +16.7% | +10.6% | 13.7% | 29.2% | −7.0 pts | −11.2 pts |
| CAIQ Calamos Nasdaq Autocallable Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying monthly | QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Calamos | Defiance |
| Strategy | option income | option income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 17.9% | 19.6% |
| Expense ratio | 0.74% | 1.04% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 13.7% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025) | 29.2% |
| Price change, 1 year | +2.1% | −20.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.7% (since launch on Nov 20, 2025) | +10.6% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +23.6% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −7.0 pts | −11.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 100% |
| Age | 302 days | 365 days |
| Net assets | $167m | $52m |
CAIQ in plain words
Over the period since launch on Nov 20, 2025 to Sep 18, 2026, CAIQ paid 13.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 2.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.7%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +23.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 7.0 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 17.9%, paid monthly.
QLDY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QLDY paid 29.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 20.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +10.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.6%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 100% 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, CAIQ or QLDY?
- CAIQ charges 0.74% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so CAIQ 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, CAIQ against QLDY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/caiq-vs-qldy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.