Data as of .
MSTY vs RYLD: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year MSTY paid 35.1% of its price in cash against RYLD’s 12.3%, though RYLD returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: RYLD 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 RYLD hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in MSTY | Only in RYLD |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 21.68% | GLOBAL X RUSSELL 2000 ETF 99.96% |
| TREASURY BILL 21.18% | CASH 0.04% |
| TREASURY BILL 20.64% | |
| TREASURY BILL 17.38% | |
| TREASURY BILL 15.04% | |
| TREASURY BILL 4.07% | |
| 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 Jan 31, 2026 and Sep 11, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSTY | RYLD | MSTY | RYLD | MSTY | RYLD | |
| 3 months | +3.8% | +3.9% | 16.1% | 3.1% | −1.8 pts | +5.1 pts |
| 6 months | −7.2% | +13.1% | 32.0% | 6.3% | −1.0 pts | −4.5 pts |
| 1 year | −54.4% | +18.1% | 35.1% | 12.3% | +5.5 pts | −3.1 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +30.9% | not published | 32.7% | not published | −31.7 pts |
| Since launch | +56.5% | +51.9% | 223.1% | 67.2% | −27.1 pts | −51.8 pts |
| MSTY YieldMax(R) 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | Global X |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | covered call |
| Benchmark | MicroStrategy (MSTR) | Russell 2000 (IWM) |
| Pays | weekly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 110.5% | 12.4% |
| Expense ratio | 0.99% | 0.60% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 35.1% | 12.3% |
| Price change, 1 year | −80.9% | +4.7% |
| Total return, 1 year | −54.4% | +18.1% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −59.8% | +21.2% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.5 pts | −3.1 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 99% | 100% |
| Age | 932 days | 2699 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).
RYLD in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, RYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.1%. Russell 2000 (IWM) returned +21.2% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.4%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Aug 27, 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 RYLD?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSTY paid 35.1% of its starting price in cash and RYLD paid 12.3%, 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 −54.4% and RYLD returned +18.1% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so RYLD returned more.
- 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
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 RYLD, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/msty-vs-ryld Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.