Data as of .
MSTY vs YMAX: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year YMAX paid 39.0% 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 YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in MSTY | Only in YMAX |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 21.68% | YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95% |
| TREASURY BILL 21.18% | Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36% |
| TREASURY BILL 20.64% | Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01% |
| TREASURY BILL 17.38% | YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99% |
| TREASURY BILL 15.04% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88% |
| TREASURY BILL 4.07% | YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80% |
| Strategy Inc 0.01% | YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72% |
| YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option 4.66% |
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 | YMAX | MSTY | YMAX | MSTY | YMAX | |
| 3 months | +3.8% | +5.6% | 16.1% | 10.8% | −1.8 pts | +2.3 pts |
| 6 months | −7.2% | +15.5% | 32.0% | 24.3% | −1.0 pts | −0.5 pts |
| 1 year | −54.4% | −0.6% | 35.1% | 39.0% | +5.5 pts | −18.1 pts |
| Since launch | +56.5% | +41.0% | 223.1% | 91.3% | −27.1 pts | −25.7 pts |
| MSTY YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on MSTR, paying weekly | YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | MicroStrategy (MSTR) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 110.5% | 41.6% |
| Expense ratio | 0.99% | 1.33% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 35.1% | 39.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | −80.9% | −41.0% |
| Total return, 1 year | −54.4% | −0.6% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −59.8% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.5 pts | −18.1 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 99% | 68% |
| Age | 932 days | 968 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).
YMAX in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, YMAX paid 39.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 41.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.6%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 18.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 41.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 68% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 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 YMAX?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, MSTY paid 35.1% of its starting price in cash and YMAX paid 39.0%, so YMAX 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 YMAX?
- With every distribution reinvested, MSTY returned −54.4% and YMAX returned −0.6% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so YMAX returned more.
- Which is cheaper, MSTY or YMAX?
- MSTY charges 0.99% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, 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 YMAX, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/msty-vs-ymax Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.