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Data as of .

CDPI vs QLDY: which paid, and which earned it?

CDPI and QLDY both write options for income.

Columbia High Dividend Premium Income ETF and Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF.

0.7%CDPI cash paid, 1 year
29.2%QLDY cash paid, 1 year
+0.5%CDPI total return, 1 year
+10.6%QLDY total return, 1 year
CDPI4.1 pts behind SCHD · since launch to Sep 18, 2026
SCHD+4.6%CDPI+0.5%4.1 pts behind SCHDTotal return, distributions reinvestedSCHD+4.6%CDPI+0.5%4.1 pts behind SCHD
QLDY11.2 pts behind QQQ · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
QQQ+21.8%QLDY+10.6%29.2% of it arrived as cash11.2 pts behind QQQTotal return, distributions reinvestedQQQ+21.8%QLDY+10.6%11.2 pts behind QQQ

Performance, window by window

CDPI and QLDY over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
CDPIQLDYCDPIQLDYCDPIQLDY
3 monthsnot published−6.6%not published8.3%not published−4.1 pts
6 monthsnot published+20.1%not published18.7%not published−4.2 pts
1 yearnot published+10.6%not published29.2%not published−11.2 pts
Since launch+0.5%+10.6%0.7%29.2%−4.1 pts−11.2 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
CDPI and QLDY on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
CDPI
Columbia High Dividend Premium Income ETF
Covered call on SCHD
QLDY
Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF
Option income on QQQ, paying weekly
IssuerColumbiaDefiance
Strategycovered calloption income
BenchmarkUS dividend stocks (SCHD), used as the dividend proxyNasdaq-100 (QQQ)
Paysnot establishedweekly
Payout rate, annualized8.2%19.6%
Expense ratio0.45%1.04%
Cash paid, 1 year0.7% (since launch on Jul 14, 2026)29.2%
Price change, 1 year−0.2%−20.3%
Total return, 1 year+0.5% (since launch on Jul 14, 2026)+10.6%
Benchmark return, 1 year+4.6%+21.8%
Ahead or behind−4.1 pts−11.2 pts
Return of capital, latest estimatenot published100%
Age66 days365 days
Net assetsnot published$52m

CDPI in plain words

Over the period since launch on Jul 14, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, CDPI paid 0.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +0.5%. US dividend stocks (SCHD), used as the dividend proxy returned +4.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 4.1 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.2%, paid periodically.

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, CDPI or QLDY?
CDPI charges 0.45% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so CDPI 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.

CDPI against QLDY, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, CDPI against QLDY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/cdpi-vs-qldy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources