Which paid more, FGSI or QXQ?

Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and QXQ paid 15.1%, so QXQ paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, FGSI or QXQ?

With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +7.9% and QXQ +12.1% over the year to Nov 12, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FGSI or QXQ?

FGSI charges 0.85% a year and QXQ charges 0.98%, so FGSI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 12, 2026.

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FGSI vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return

Return, fees and overlap, side by side.

Return gap

+4.2 pts

1 year to Nov 12, 2026: QXQ ahead, total return

Fee gap

0.13 pts

A year: FGSI 0.85%, QXQ 0.98%, per filings dated Jan 5, 2026 and Feb 27, 2026

Overlap

–

No book read for both funds

Net flow

–

Needs daily flows for both funds

Pair scorecard

FGSI costs 0.13 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.2 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FGSI vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FGSI	QXQ
Paid and earned
Measure	FGSI	QXQ
Total return, 1 year	+7.9%	+12.1%
Price change, 1 year	fell 0.8%	fell 4.7%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FGSI	QXQ
Benchmark	First Trust Growth Strength ETF, measured through FTGS	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	FGSI	QXQ
Expense ratio	0.85%	0.98%
Net assets, FGSI as of Nov 11, 2026 and QXQ as of Aug 31, 2026	$2.0m	$82m
Holdings
Measure	FGSI	QXQ
Holdings in common	not published

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · FGSI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score58.2FGSI52QXQ

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 171 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

FGSI 58.2

QXQ 52

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

Key numbers

8.3%

FGSI cash paid, 1 year

15.1%

QXQ cash paid, 1 year

+7.9%

FGSI total return, 1 year

+12.1%

QXQ total return, 1 year

FGSI · 1 year to Nov 12, 2026 About even with FTGS

FGSI

+7.9%

FTGS

+7.6%

About even with FTGS

FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price −0.8%, total +7.9%, FTGS +7.6%, +0.3 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

FTGS

+7.6%

FGSI

+7.9%

8.3% of it arrived as cash

about even with FTGS

Total return, distributions reinvested

About even with FTGS

FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price −0.8%, total +7.9%, FTGS +7.6%, +0.3 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

FTGS

+7.6%

FGSI

+7.9%

8.3% as cash

about even with FTGS

8.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price −0.8%, total +7.9%, FTGS +7.6%, +0.3 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QXQ · 1 year to Nov 12, 2026 0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ

+12.1%

QQQ

+11.3%

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+11.3%

QXQ

+12.1%

15.1% of it arrived as cash

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

QQQ

+11.3%

QXQ

+12.1%

15.1% as cash

0.8 pts ahead of QQQ

15.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QXQ over 1 year: paid 15.1%, price −4.7%, total +12.1%, QQQ +11.3%, +0.8 pts. Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Data to Nov 12, 2026.

Side by side

FGSI FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF · Writes calls on the S&P 500, measured against The Growth Strength Index, paying monthly QXQ SGI Enhanced Nasdaq-100 ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying quarterly

Issuer First Trust SGI

Strategy option income covered call

Benchmark First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly quarterly

Payout rate, annualized 8.3% 1.0%

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.98%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.3% 15.1%

Price change, 1 year −0.8% −4.7%

Total return, 1 year +7.9% +12.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +7.6% +11.3%

Ahead or behind +0.3 pts +0.8 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% not published

Age 1.4 years 2.4 years

Net assets, FGSI as of Nov 11, 2026 and QXQ as of Aug 31, 2026 $2.0m $82m

As of Nov 12, 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

Window by window: FGSI vs QXQ: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FGSI	QXQ	FGSI	QXQ	FGSI	QXQ
3 months	−3.9%	−5.4%	2.0%	0.2%	+0.9 pts	+0.5 pts
6 months	+5.5%	−3.8%	4.3%	0.5%	+0.5 pts	+0.4 pts
1 year	+7.9%	+12.1%	8.3%	15.1%	+0.3 pts	+0.8 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FGSI Jun 2025 · QXQ Jun 2024	+12.7%	+47.7%	11.3%	22.8%	−0.6 pts	+2.2 pts

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About each fund

FGSI

Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.9%. First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) returned +7.6% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Nov 12, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.3%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 53% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

QXQ

Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, QXQ paid 15.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +12.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +11.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 0.8 pts. At its price on Nov 12, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 1.0%, paid quarterly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FGSI or QXQ?: Over the year to Nov 12, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and QXQ paid 15.1%, so QXQ paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, FGSI or QXQ?: With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +7.9% and QXQ +12.1% over the year to Nov 12, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FGSI or QXQ?: FGSI charges 0.85% a year and QXQ charges 0.98%, so FGSI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FGSI vs QRMI FGSI vs ROCQ FGSI vs QDTE FGSI vs FTQI QXQ vs TPAY QXQ vs ODTE QXQ vs KIQQ QXQ vs XVSP

Where to next

First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →FGSI on its own →QXQ on its own →FGSI dividend history →FGSI holdings →QXQ dividend history →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

FGSI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FGSI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

FGSI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for FGSI ↗

QXQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QXQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

SGI website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, FGSI against QXQ, data as of Nov 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fgsi-vs-qxq

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.

Net assets: $2.0m on Nov 11, 2026 for FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF, and $82m on Aug 31, 2026 for SGI Enhanced Nasdaq-100 ETF.

FGSI on its own →QXQ on its own →

Growth of 100

FGSI and QXQ

Total return, distributions reinvested, 1 year.

FGSI +7.9%QXQ +12.1%

Nov 12, 2025Nov 12, 2026

FGSI +7.9%, QXQ +12.1%: QXQ +4.2 pts ahead, 1 year, Nov 12, 2025 to Nov 12, 2026.