Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

FTHI vs ISPY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its price in cash against ISPY’s 6.2%, though ISPY returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $2.5bn on Nov 3, 2026 for First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF, and $1.2bn on Nov 4, 2026 for ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF.

At a glance
8.9%
FTHI cash paid, 1 year
6.2%
ISPY cash paid, 1 year
+8.1%
FTHI total return, 1 year
+11.3%
ISPY total return, 1 year
FTHI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 6.7 pts behind SPY
FTHI
+8.1%
SPY
+14.8%

6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

FTHI

+8.1%

8.9% of it arrived as cash

6.7 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

FTHI

+8.1%

8.9% cash

6.7 pts behind SPY

8.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.
ISPY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.5 pts behind SPY
ISPY
+11.3%
SPY
+14.8%

3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

ISPY

+11.3%

6.2% of it arrived as cash

3.5 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

ISPY

+11.3%

3.5 pts behind SPY

6.2% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

ISPY costs 0.20 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.2 points; FTHI is 2.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FTHI vs ISPY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureFTHIISPY
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 year+8.1%+11.3%
Price change, 1 yearfell 1.2%rose 4.8%
Return of capital, issuer estimate92% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment87% of the Nov 6, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkS&P 500, measured through SPYS&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.75%0.55%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026$2.5bn$1.1bn
Holdings
Holdings in common46%
ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · ISPY scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?
IQ Income Score52.4FTHI83.5ISPY

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

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

Risk and return

Dec 29, 2023 to Oct 30, 2026 · 148 weekly returns · each against SPY
FTHI ISPY
Return
Total return edge ISPY +40.3% +49.2%
Annualized edge ISPY +12.6% +15.1%
Price return edge ISPY +9.0% +17.0%
Risk
Volatility edge FTHI 9.9% 12.8%
Max drawdown edge FTHI (slight) −14.4% −15.6%
Downside capture 66.2% 96.6%
Beta 0.65 0.89
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge Tie 0.81 0.82
Sortino edge ISPY (slight) 1.15 1.19
Treynor 0.124 0.118
Calmar edge ISPY (slight) 0.88 0.97
Against the benchmark
Alpha −1.1% a year −2.0% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.44 −1.26
Information ratio −0.95 −1.16
Tracking error 6.4% 3.1%
Reading

From Dec 2023 to Oct 2026, ISPY returned more: +49.2% to +40.3%. FTHI swung less: 9.9% to 12.8%. FTHI fell slightly less at its worst: −14.4% to −15.6%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: FTHI vs ISPY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureFTHIISPYSPYEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+40.3%+49.2%ISPYPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+12.6%+15.1%ISPYTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+9.0%+17.0%ISPYPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility9.9%12.8%FTHISpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation7.0%8.8%FTHILike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−14.4%−15.6%FTHI (slight)Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture51.8%85.6%100.0%ISPYShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture66.2%96.6%100.0%FTHIShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.650.891.00FTHI lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.840.961.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.810.82TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.151.19ISPY (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1240.1180.141FTHI (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.880.97ISPY (slight)Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkSPYSPYSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−1.1% a year−2.0% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.44−1.26Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−5.8% to +3.6%−5.1% to +1.1%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.95−1.16FTHIReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error6.4%3.1%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 148 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

46%

By the books each fund has filed, FTHI and ISPY hold 46% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

46% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTHI ISPY
NVIDIA Corporation 6.59% 6.80%
Apple Inc. 7.86% 5.92%
Microsoft Corporation 3.18% 4.80%
Amazon.com, Inc. 2.57% 3.24%
Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 1.99% 2.53%
Broadcom Inc. 1.92% 2.23%
Alphabet Inc. (Class C) 1.44% 2.02%
Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 1.25% 1.60%
JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2.65% 1.22%
Eli Lilly and Company 1.19% 1.16%
Tesla, Inc. 1.09% 1.32%
Micron Technology, Inc. 0.95% 1.38%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in FTHI
ASML Holding N.V. (New York Registry Shares) 2.06%
Coca-Cola European Partners Plc 1.15%
Jackson Financial Inc. (Class A) 0.80%
Novartis AG (ADR) 0.71%
Royalty Pharma Plc (Class A) 0.64%
HF Sinclair Corp. 0.62%
InterDigital, Inc. 0.58%
IDACORP, Inc. 0.57%
Only in ISPY
Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. 1.18%
Visa, Inc. 0.80%
Mastercard, Inc. 0.60%
Lam Research Corp. 0.48%
UnitedHealth Group, Inc. 0.45%
Procter & Gamble Co. (The) 0.43%
Home Depot, Inc. (The) 0.42%
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. 0.40%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTHI First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly ISPY ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly
Strategy covered call option income
Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) S&P 500 (SPY)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 9.0% 6.0%
Expense ratio 0.75% 0.55%
Cash paid, 1 year 8.9% 6.2%
Price change, 1 year −1.2% +4.8%
Total return, 1 year +8.1% +11.3%
Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +14.8%
Ahead or behind −6.7 pts −3.5 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 92% 87%
Age 12.8 years 2.9 years
Net assets, FTHI as of Nov 3, 2026 and ISPY as of Nov 4, 2026 $2.5bn $1.2bn

As of Nov 4, 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: FTHI vs ISPY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowFTHIISPYFTHIISPYFTHIISPY
3 months−0.5%−0.5%2.2%1.5%−0.3 pts−0.3 pts
6 months+2.5%+3.8%4.4%3.1%−2.5 pts−1.2 pts
1 year+8.1%+11.3%8.9%6.2%−6.7 pts−3.5 pts
3 years+48.1%–29.7%–−34.8 pts–
Since launchNot the same days: FTHI Jan 2014 · ISPY Dec 2023+155.0%+54.0%84.3%27.1%−262.6 pts−15.1 pts

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About each fund
FTHI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.0%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 92% 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.

ISPY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, ISPY paid 6.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.3%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.5 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.0%, paid monthly. ProShares estimates that 87% of the distribution paid Nov 6, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FTHI or ISPY?
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting price in cash and ISPY paid 6.2%, so FTHI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, FTHI or ISPY?
With every distribution reinvested, FTHI returned +8.1% and ISPY +11.3% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FTHI or ISPY?
FTHI charges 0.75% a year and ISPY charges 0.55%, so ISPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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Sources and dates

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.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, FTHI against ISPY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fthi-vs-ispy

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