Data as of .
DFII vs XEY: which paid, and which earned it?
DFII and XEY both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, DFII and XEY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in DFII | Only in XEY |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-30 S&P 500® Mini Index P 2,997.64 1283.75% | Treasury Bill 100.00% |
| US Dollar 0.98% | |
| 2026-09-30 iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF C 49.94 0.46% | |
| 2026-09-30 S&P 500® Mini Index C 2,810.29 0.01% | |
| 2026-09-30 S&P 500® Mini Index C 2,997.64 -0.01% | |
| 2026-09-25 iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF C 46.02 -0.36% | |
| 2026-09-30 iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF P 49.94 -8.84% | |
| 2026-09-30 S&P 500® Mini Index P 2,810.29 -1175.99% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFII | XEY | DFII | XEY | DFII | XEY | |
| 3 months | +23.6% | +5.6% | 4.7% | 10.0% | −5.6 pts | −49.1 pts |
| 6 months | +10.5% | not published | 8.4% | not published | −5.2 pts | not published |
| 1 year | −32.5% | not published | 11.5% | not published | −1.5 pts | not published |
| Since launch | −5.6% | −1.6% | 24.3% | 16.9% | −4.4 pts | −16.3 pts |
| DFII FT Vest Bitcoin Strategy & Target Income ETF Option income on IBIT, paying monthly | XEY GraniteShares YieldBOOST Ether ETF Synthetic covered call on ETHA, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | GraniteShares |
| Strategy | option income | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Bitcoin (IBIT) | Ether (ETHA) |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 17.4% | 34.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 1.07% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 11.5% | 16.9% (since launch on Apr 28, 2026) |
| Price change, 1 year | −43.7% | −19.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | −32.5% | −1.6% (since launch on Apr 28, 2026) |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −31.1% | +14.7% |
| Ahead or behind | −1.5 pts | −16.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 93% |
| Age | 533 days | 143 days |
| Net assets | $21m | $609,136 |
DFII in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, DFII paid 11.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 43.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −32.5%. Bitcoin (IBIT) returned −31.1% 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 17.4%, paid monthly.
XEY in plain words
Over the period since launch on Apr 28, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, XEY paid 16.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 19.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −1.6%. Ether (ETHA) returned +14.7% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 16.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 34.8%, paid weekly. GraniteShares estimates that 93% of the distribution paid Aug 25, 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, DFII or XEY?
- DFII charges 0.85% a year and XEY charges 1.07%, so DFII 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, DFII against XEY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/dfii-vs-xey Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.