Data as of .
MSTY vs OARK: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year OARK paid 38.6% of its price in cash against MSTY’s 35.1%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: MSTY 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, MSTY and OARK hold 56% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | MSTY | OARK |
|---|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL | 21.68% | 37.81% |
| TREASURY BILL | 20.64% | 30.32% |
| TREASURY BILL | 17.38% | 10.80% |
| TREASURY BILL | 4.07% | 2.51% |
| Only in MSTY | Only in OARK |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 21.18% | TREASURY BILL 18.55% |
| 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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSTY | OARK | MSTY | OARK | MSTY | OARK | |
| 3 months | +3.8% | +5.1% | 16.1% | 9.6% | −1.8 pts | +5.9 pts |
| 6 months | −7.2% | +15.3% | 32.0% | 22.6% | −1.0 pts | −5.4 pts |
| 1 year | −54.4% | +7.2% | 35.1% | 38.6% | +5.5 pts | −15.8 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +48.6% | not published | 82.9% | not published | −46.5 pts |
| Since launch | +56.5% | +53.5% | 223.1% | 89.2% | −27.1 pts | −99.6 pts |
| MSTY YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on MSTR, paying weekly | OARK YieldMax(R) Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on QQQ, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | MicroStrategy (MSTR) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ), used as the innovation proxy |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 110.5% | 37.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.99% | 1.00% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 35.1% | 38.6% |
| Price change, 1 year | −80.9% | −33.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | −54.4% | +7.2% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −59.8% | +23.0% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.5 pts | −15.8 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 99% | 39% |
| Age | 932 days | 1388 days |
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).
OARK in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, OARK paid 38.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 33.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.2%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ), used as the innovation proxy returned +23.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 15.8 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 37.1%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 39% 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, MSTY or OARK?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSTY paid 35.1% of its starting price in cash and OARK paid 38.6%, so OARK paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, MSTY or OARK?
- With every distribution reinvested, MSTY returned −54.4% and OARK returned +7.2% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so OARK returned more.
- Which is cheaper, MSTY or OARK?
- MSTY charges 0.99% a year and OARK charges 1.00%, 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, MSTY against OARK, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/msty-vs-oark Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.