Data as of .
NLSI vs QQQI: which paid, and which earned it?
NLSI and QQQI both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, NLSI and QQQI hold 10% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | NLSI | QQQI |
|---|---|---|
| Micron Technology Inc | 14.23% | 5.03% |
| NVIDIA Corp | 3.17% | 8.58% |
| Adobe Inc | 3.37% | 0.45% |
| Intuit Inc | 2.85% | 0.36% |
| NXP Semiconductors NV | 3.02% | 0.25% |
| Autodesk Inc | 2.40% | 0.20% |
| Dexcom Inc | 2.98% | 0.15% |
| Only in NLSI | Only in QQQI |
|---|---|
| F5 Inc 3.90% | Apple Inc 7.79% |
| Progressive Corp/The 3.80% | Microsoft Corp 5.84% |
| Jack Henry & Associates Inc 3.32% | Amazon.com Inc 4.36% |
| Universal Health Services Inc 3.23% | Advanced Micro Devices Inc 4.02% |
| Insulet Corp 3.19% | Alphabet Inc 3.24% |
| Veeva Systems Inc 3.19% | Meta Platforms Inc 3.14% |
| PTC Inc 3.18% | Alphabet Inc 2.99% |
| Marathon Petroleum Corp 3.13% | Tesla Inc 2.91% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLSI | QQQI | NLSI | QQQI | NLSI | QQQI | |
| 3 months | +15.6% | −0.7% | 1.4% | 3.4% | +13.3 pts | +1.8 pts |
| 6 months | +24.6% | +16.7% | 2.8% | 7.7% | +6.6 pts | −7.5 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +16.4% | not published | 15.2% | not published | −5.3 pts |
| Since launch | +19.3% | +59.6% | 4.0% | 39.9% | +7.3 pts | −12.3 pts |
| NLSI NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | QQQI NEOS Nasdaq-100(R) High Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | NEOS | NEOS |
| Strategy | option income | option income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 5.1% | 14.0% |
| Expense ratio | 2.89% | 0.68% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 4.0% (since launch on Dec 10, 2025) | 15.2% |
| Price change, 1 year | +14.6% | −0.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.3% (since launch on Dec 10, 2025) | +16.4% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +12.0% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | +7.3 pts | −5.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 98% |
| Age | 282 days | 962 days |
| Net assets | $5m | $14.8bn |
NLSI in plain words
Over the period since launch on Dec 10, 2025 to Sep 18, 2026, NLSI paid 4.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 14.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +19.3%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +12.0% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 7.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.1%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Jul 31, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
QQQI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QQQI paid 15.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.4%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 5.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.0%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 98% of the distribution paid Jun 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, NLSI or QQQI?
- NLSI charges 2.89% a year and QQQI charges 0.68%, so QQQI 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, NLSI against QQQI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/nlsi-vs-qqqi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.