Data as of .
KYLD vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?
KYLD and ULTY both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, KYLD and ULTY hold 19% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | KYLD | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 6.21% | 5.23% |
| VanEck Gold Miners ETF/USA | 6.38% | 4.07% |
| Robinhood Markets Inc | 3.81% | 4.07% |
| Shopify Inc | 3.43% | 3.55% |
| Reddit Inc | 4.15% | 2.79% |
| Only in KYLD | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 12.96% | MercadoLibre Inc 4.99% |
| TREASURY BILL 11.01% | Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.75% |
| Global X Silver Miners ETF 7.09% | Strategy Inc 4.66% |
| Intel Corp 6.19% | Comfort Systems USA Inc 4.61% |
| Howmet Aerospace Inc 5.97% | Alphabet Inc 4.39% |
| Teradyne Inc 5.77% | Lam Research Corp 4.34% |
| BWX Technologies Inc 5.38% | Coherent Corp 4.30% |
| AppLovin Corp 5.32% | Palantir Technologies Inc 4.27% |
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 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KYLD | ULTY | KYLD | ULTY | KYLD | ULTY | |
| 3 months | −6.3% | −1.1% | 5.6% | 13.7% | −8.5 pts | −3.3 pts |
| 6 months | +24.4% | +14.0% | 14.1% | 30.1% | +6.4 pts | −4.0 pts |
| 1 year | not published | −7.8% | not published | 44.9% | not published | −24.3 pts |
| Since launch | +2.0% | +10.7% | 20.9% | 86.9% | −10.9 pts | −44.1 pts |
| KYLD Kurv High Income ETF Option income on SPY, paying weekly | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Kurv | YieldMax |
| Strategy | option income | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 25.6% | 59.8% |
| Expense ratio | 1.00% | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 20.9% (since launch on Oct 31, 2025) | 44.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | −20.5% | −54.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | +2.0% (since launch on Oct 31, 2025) | −7.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +12.9% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −10.9 pts | −24.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 100% |
| Age | 322 days | 932 days |
| Net assets | $49m | $721m |
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).
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, ULTY paid 44.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 54.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −7.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 24.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 59.8%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 17, 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, KYLD or ULTY?
- KYLD charges 1.00% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so KYLD 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, KYLD against ULTY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/kyld-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.