Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Income ETFs

MSTY vs RYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, MSTY paid 33.4% of its price in cash against RYLD’s 12.1%, though RYLD returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $1.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF, and $1.3bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF.

At a glance
33.4%
MSTY cash paid, 1 year
12.1%
RYLD cash paid, 1 year
−43.4%
MSTY total return, 1 year
+12.1%
RYLD total return, 1 year
MSTY · 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 5.6 pts ahead of MSTR
MSTY
−43.4%
MSTR
−49.0%

5.6 pts ahead of MSTR

MSTY over 1 year: paid 33.4%, price −75.2%, total −43.4%, MSTR −49.0%, +5.6 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

MSTR

−49.0%

MSTY

−43.4%

5.6 pts ahead of MSTR

Total return, distributions reinvested

5.6 pts ahead of MSTR

MSTY over 1 year: paid 33.4%, price −75.2%, total −43.4%, MSTR −49.0%, +5.6 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

MSTR

−49.0%

MSTY

−43.4%

5.6 pts ahead of MSTR

33.4% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. MSTY over 1 year: paid 33.4%, price −75.2%, total −43.4%, MSTR −49.0%, +5.6 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Data to Oct 28, 2026.
RYLD · 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 2 pts behind IWM
RYLD
+12.1%
IWM
+14.1%

2 pts behind IWM

RYLD over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price −0.6%, total +12.1%, IWM +14.1%, −2.0 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

IWM

+14.1%

RYLD

+12.1%

12.1% as cash

2 pts behind IWM

Total return, distributions reinvested

2 pts behind IWM

RYLD over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price −0.6%, total +12.1%, IWM +14.1%, −2.0 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

IWM

+14.1%

RYLD

+12.1%

2 pts behind IWM

12.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. RYLD over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price −0.6%, total +12.1%, IWM +14.1%, −2.0 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Pair scorecard

RYLD costs 0.39 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 55.5 points; RYLD is 1.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

MSTY vs RYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureMSTYRYLD
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 year−43.4%+12.1%
Price change, 1 yearfell 75.2%fell 0.6%
Return of capital, issuer estimate14% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment100% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkMicroStrategy (MSTR)Russell 2000, measured through IWM
Against its benchmark, same daysahead by 5.6 ptsbehind by 2.0 pts
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.99%0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026$1.1bn$1.3bn
Holdings
Holdings in common0%
ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · RYLD scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

MSTY among the 74 income ETFs writing on a single company

IQ Income Score19.6MSTY57.6RYLD

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 74 income ETFs writing on a single company and 164 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

MSTY 19.6
0.7, the lowest in this set 99.3, the highest

RYLD among the 164 income ETFs not writing on a single company

RYLD 57.6
0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

A percentile among the 74 income ETFs writing on a single company. RYLD is a percentile among the 164 income ETFs not writing on a single company, a different set, so the two marks are not on one scale. One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Mar 1, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026 · 138 weekly returns
MSTY RYLD
Return
Total return edge MSTY +36.1% +25.9%
Annualized edge MSTY +12.3% +9.1%
Price return edge RYLD −89.1% −8.7%
Risk
Volatility edge RYLD 61.8% 10.7%
Max drawdown edge RYLD −76.2% −15.3%
Downside capture 97.2% 62.8%
Beta 0.73 0.54
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge RYLD (slight) 0.42 0.46
Sortino edge MSTY (slight) 0.65 0.60
Treynor 0.358 0.063
Calmar edge RYLD 0.16 0.59
Against the benchmark
Alpha −2.3% a year −1.3% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.23 −0.43
Information ratio −0.47 −0.38
Tracking error 27.4% 13.9%

Each against its own benchmark: MSTY against MSTR, Mar 1, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026; RYLD against IWM, May 3, 2019 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

MSTY returned more: +36.1% to +25.9%. RYLD swung less: 10.7% to 61.8%. RYLD fell less at its worst: −15.3% to −76.2%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: MSTY vs RYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureMSTYRYLDEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+36.1%+25.9%MSTYPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+12.3%+9.1%MSTYTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return−89.1%−8.7%RYLDPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility61.8%10.7%RYLDSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation40.0%8.2%RYLDLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−76.2%−15.3%RYLDDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture35.5%33.1%Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture97.2%62.8%Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.730.54Not an edgeHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.930.73Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.420.46RYLD (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.650.60MSTY (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.3580.063Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.160.59RYLDAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkMSTRIWMThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−2.3% a year−1.3% a yearNot significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.23−0.43Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−21.9% to +17.3%−7.0% to +4.5%Includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.47−0.38Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error27.4%13.9%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 138 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

0%

By the books each fund has filed, MSTY and RYLD hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first MSTY RYLD
Only in one fund ↓
Only in MSTY
United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 18.81%
MSTR US 11/20/26 C135 6.30%
United States Treasury Note/Bond 3.375% 09/15/2027 5.96%
MSTR 12/18/2026 150.01 C 4.40%
MSTR US 10/30/26 C157.5 0.19%
MSTR US 10/30/26 C160 0.11%
MSTR US 10/30/26 C162.5 0.10%
MSTR US 10/30/26 C148 -0.03%
Only in RYLD
Global X Russell 2000 ETF 100.94%
N/A 0.00%
N/A 0.00%
N/A 0.00%
N/A 0.00%
N/A 0.00%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

MSTY YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF · Synthetic covered call on MSTR, paying weekly RYLD Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on IWM, paying monthly
Strategy synthetic covered call covered call
Benchmark MicroStrategy (MSTR) Russell 2000 (IWM)
Pays weekly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 60.3% 11.5%
Expense ratio 0.99% 0.60%
Cash paid, 1 year 33.4% 12.1%
Price change, 1 year −75.2% −0.6%
Total return, 1 year −43.4% +12.1%
Benchmark return, 1 year −49.0% +14.1%
Ahead or behind +5.6 pts −2.0 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 14% 100%
Age 2.7 years 7.5 years
Net assets, MSTY as of Oct 27, 2026 and RYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $1.0bn $1.3bn

As of Oct 28, 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

Window by window: MSTY vs RYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowMSTYRYLDMSTYRYLDMSTYRYLD
3 months+42.2%−0.3%25.1%2.9%−13.3 pts+1.9 pts
6 months−9.7%+6.8%28.9%6.2%−1.4 pts+2.9 pts
1 year−43.4%+12.1%33.4%12.1%+5.6 pts−2.1 pts
3 years–+38.8%–35.9%–−40.5 pts
Since launchNot the same days: MSTY Feb 2024 · RYLD Apr 2019+69.4%+49.0%224.6%68.4%−34.2 pts−50.0 pts

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Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-46CBCB7A31

MSTY and RYLD are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Income paid. MSTY paid 33.4% and RYLD 12.1% (cash paid over 1 year, as a share of its price at the start), a gap of 21.3 points.
  2. What each is measured against. MSTY is measured against MicroStrategy (MSTR) and RYLD against Russell 2000 through IWM.
  3. Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 28, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
MSTY

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, MSTY paid 33.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 75.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −43.4%. MicroStrategy (MSTR) returned −49.0% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.6 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 60.3%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 14% 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.

RYLD

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, RYLD paid 12.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +12.1%. Russell 2000 (IWM) returned +14.1% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 2.0 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.5%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, MSTY or RYLD?
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, MSTY paid 33.4% of its starting price in cash and RYLD paid 12.1%, 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, MSTY or RYLD?
With every distribution reinvested, MSTY returned −43.4% and RYLD +12.1% over the year to Oct 28, 2026.
Which is cheaper, MSTY or RYLD?
MSTY charges 0.99% a year and RYLD charges 0.60%, so RYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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Sources and dates

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

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ETFIQ, MSTY against RYLD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/msty-vs-ryld

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