Data as of .
MSFO vs MSTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year MSTY paid 35.1% of its price in cash against MSFO’s 28.6%, though MSFO returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: MSFO scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 61 income ETFs writing on a single company. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, MSFO and MSTY hold 55% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | MSFO | MSTY |
|---|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL | 31.42% | 21.68% |
| TREASURY BILL | 32.44% | 20.64% |
| TREASURY BILL | 8.72% | 17.38% |
| TREASURY BILL | 12.47% | 4.07% |
| Only in MSFO | Only in MSTY |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 14.95% | TREASURY BILL 21.18% |
| TREASURY BILL 15.04% | |
| Strategy Inc 0.01% |
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 Apr 30, 2026 and Jan 31, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSFO | MSTY | MSFO | MSTY | MSFO | MSTY | |
| 3 months | +22.9% | +3.8% | 11.8% | 16.1% | −4.2 pts | −1.8 pts |
| 6 months | +21.4% | −7.2% | 21.0% | 32.0% | −4.5 pts | −1.0 pts |
| 1 year | +1.5% | −54.4% | 28.6% | 35.1% | +1.8 pts | +5.5 pts |
| 3 years | +50.9% | not published | 79.0% | not published | −1.9 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +55.4% | +56.5% | 81.3% | 223.1% | −1.6 pts | −27.1 pts |
| MSFO YieldMax(R) MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on MSFT, paying weekly | MSTY YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on MSTR, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Microsoft (MSFT) | MicroStrategy (MSTR) |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 26.1% | 110.5% |
| Expense ratio | 1.03% | 0.99% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 28.6% | 35.1% |
| Price change, 1 year | −29.8% | −80.9% |
| Total return, 1 year | +1.5% | −54.4% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −0.3% | −59.8% |
| Ahead or behind | +1.8 pts | +5.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 92% | 99% |
| Age | 1113 days | 932 days |
MSFO in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSFO paid 28.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 29.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +1.5%. Microsoft (MSFT) returned −0.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.8 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 26.1%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 92% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
MSTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSTY paid 35.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 80.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −54.4%. MicroStrategy (MSTR) returned −59.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.5 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 110.5%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, MSFO or MSTY?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSFO paid 28.6% of its starting price in cash and MSTY paid 35.1%, so MSTY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, MSFO or MSTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, MSFO returned +1.5% and MSTY returned −54.4% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so MSFO returned more.
- Which is cheaper, MSFO or MSTY?
- MSFO charges 1.03% a year and MSTY charges 0.99%, so MSTY 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, MSFO against MSTY, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/msfo-vs-msty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.