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Data as of .

FTHI vs KYLD: which paid, and which earned it?

FTHI and KYLD both write options for income.

First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF and Kurv High Income ETF.

8.9%FTHI cash paid, 1 year
20.9%KYLD cash paid, 1 year
+9.7%FTHI total return, 1 year
+2.0%KYLD total return, 1 year
FTHI6.9 pts behind SPY · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
SPY+16.6%FTHI+9.7%8.9% of it arrived as cash6.9 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY+16.6%FTHI+9.7%8.9% cash6.9 pts behind SPY
KYLD10.9 pts behind SPY · since launch to Sep 18, 2026
SPY+12.9%KYLD+2.0%10.9 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY+12.9%KYLD+2.0%10.9 pts behind SPY

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, FTHI and KYLD hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions FTHI and KYLD both hold, largest shared weight first
HoldingFTHIKYLD
Broadcom Inc.2.01%5.17%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.0.42%6.21%
Vistra Corp.0.40%4.71%
Intel Corporation0.36%6.19%
Robinhood Markets, Inc. (Class A)0.16%3.81%
Applovin Corp. (Class A)0.05%5.32%
Only in each
Only in FTHIOnly in KYLD
Apple Inc. 7.75%TREASURY BILL 12.96%
NVIDIA Corporation 6.90%TREASURY BILL 11.01%
US Dollar 5.90%Global X Silver Miners ETF 7.09%
Microsoft Corporation 2.94%VanEck Gold Miners ETF/USA 6.38%
JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2.67%Howmet Aerospace Inc 5.97%
Amazon.com, Inc. 2.53%Teradyne Inc 5.77%
Dell Technologies Inc. (Class C) 2.52%BWX Technologies Inc 5.38%
Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 2.41%Reddit Inc 4.15%

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 May 31, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.

Performance, window by window

FTHI and KYLD over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
FTHIKYLDFTHIKYLDFTHIKYLD
3 months+1.7%−6.3%2.2%5.6%−0.6 pts−8.5 pts
6 months+9.8%+24.4%4.6%14.1%−8.2 pts+6.4 pts
1 year+9.7%not published8.9%not published−6.9 ptsnot published
3 years+47.9%not published28.9%not published−30.5 ptsnot published
Since launch+156.3%+2.0%82.6%20.9%−257.8 pts−10.9 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
FTHI and KYLD on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FTHI
First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF
Covered call on SPY, paying monthly
KYLD
Kurv High Income ETF
Option income on SPY, paying weekly
IssuerFirst TrustKurv
Strategycovered calloption income
BenchmarkS&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxyS&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy
Paysmonthlyweekly
Payout rate, annualized9.0%25.6%
Expense ratio0.75%1.00%
Cash paid, 1 year8.9%20.9% (since launch on Oct 31, 2025)
Price change, 1 year+0.3%−20.5%
Total return, 1 year+9.7%+2.0% (since launch on Oct 31, 2025)
Benchmark return, 1 year+16.6%+12.9%
Ahead or behind−6.9 pts−10.9 pts
Return of capital, latest estimatenot published100%
Age4637 days322 days
Net assets$2.5bn$49m

FTHI in plain words

Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.7%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.0%, paid monthly.

KYLD in plain words

Over the period since launch on Oct 31, 2025 to Sep 18, 2026, KYLD paid 20.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 20.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +2.0%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +12.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 25.6%, paid weekly. Kurv estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 3, 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, FTHI or KYLD?
FTHI charges 0.75% a year and KYLD charges 1.00%, so FTHI 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.

FTHI against KYLD, 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, FTHI against KYLD, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fthi-vs-kyld Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources