Data as of .
PCOV vs QQQY: which paid, and which earned it?
PCOV and QQQY both write options for income.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCOV | QQQY | PCOV | QQQY | PCOV | QQQY | |
| 3 months | not published | −0.5% | not published | 8.0% | not published | +2.0 pts |
| 6 months | not published | +24.3% | not published | 17.4% | not published | +0.1 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +21.1% | not published | 30.5% | not published | −0.6 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +59.1% | not published | 88.1% | not published | −39.0 pts |
| Since launch | −3.7% | +56.9% | 0.0% | 86.8% | −3.0 pts | −37.7 pts |
| PCOV Principal Equity Premium Income ETF Covered call on SPY | QQQY Defiance Nasdaq 100 Weekly Distribution ETF Option income on QQQ, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Principal | Defiance |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | not established | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | not published | 29.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.34% | 1.01% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 0.0% (since launch on Aug 19, 2026) | 30.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | −3.7% | −13.2% |
| Total return, 1 year | −3.7% (since launch on Aug 19, 2026) | +21.1% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −0.7% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −3.0 pts | −0.6 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 69% |
| Age | 30 days | 1100 days |
| Net assets | not published | $188m |
PCOV in plain words
Over the period since launch on Aug 19, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, PCOV paid 0.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 3.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −3.7%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned −0.7% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.0 pts.
QQQY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QQQY paid 30.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 13.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +21.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.6 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 29.5%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 69% of the distribution paid Sep 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, PCOV or QQQY?
- PCOV charges 0.34% a year and QQQY charges 1.01%, so PCOV 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, PCOV against QQQY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/pcov-vs-qqqy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.