Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
FTHI vs SCEP: Dividend Yield & Total Return
FTHI and SCEP both write options for income.
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Net assets: $2.5bn on Nov 3, 2026 for First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF, and $235m on Jun 30, 2026 for STERLING CAPITAL HEDGED EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF.
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.Not measured
SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SCEP
+5.3%
6.1% of it arrived as cash
Total return, distributions reinvested
Not measured
SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SCEP
+5.3%
6.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
SCEP costs 0.10 points a year less.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | FTHI | SCEP |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +8.1% | not published |
| Price change | fell 1.2% (1 year) | fell 1.1% (6 months) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 92% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment | 100% of the Oct 5, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | S&P 500, measured through SPY | its own stocks |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.75% | 0.65% |
| Net assets, FTHI as of Nov 3, 2026 and SCEP as of Jun 30, 2026 | $2.5bn | $235m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 31% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FTHI and SCEP hold 31% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
31% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
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
| Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | FTHI | SCEP | FTHI | SCEP | FTHI | SCEP |
| 3 months | −0.5% | −1.2% | 2.2% | 1.7% | −0.3 pts | +0.8 pts |
| 6 months | +2.5% | +2.4% | 4.4% | 3.5% | −2.5 pts | +0.4 pts |
| 1 year | +8.1% | – | 8.9% | – | −6.7 pts | – |
| 3 years | +48.1% | – | 29.7% | – | −34.8 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: FTHI Jan 2014 · SCEP Dec 2025 | +155.0% | +5.3% | 84.3% | 6.1% | −262.6 pts | not measured |
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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.
SCEP's own stocks, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Jun 30, 2026) returned +2.1% over the same days, so a holder was about even.
Over the 6 months to Nov 4, 2026, SCEP paid 3.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +2.4%. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.0%, paid monthly. Sterling Capital estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).
Questions people ask
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
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 SCEP, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fthi-vs-scep
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). FTHI against SCEP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fthi-vs-scep
[FTHI against SCEP (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fthi-vs-scep)
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