Which is cheaper, PCOV or XYLD?

PCOV charges 0.34% a year and XYLD charges 0.60%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

PCOV vs XYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

PCOV and XYLD both write options for income.

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Net assets: $10m on Nov 2, 2026 for Principal Equity Premium Income ETF, and $3.4bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF.

PCOV on its own →XYLD on its own →

At a glance

1.9%

PCOV cash paid, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

10.7%

XYLD cash paid, 1 year

−0.1%

PCOV total return, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

+15.9%

XYLD total return, 1 year

PCOV · since launch to Nov 4, 2026 Not measured

PCOV

−0.1%

none

Not measured

PCOV since launch: paid 1.9%, price −2.0%, total −0.1%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PCOV

−0.1%

Total return, distributions reinvested

Not measured

PCOV since launch: paid 1.9%, price −2.0%, total −0.1%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PCOV

−0.1%

1.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. PCOV since launch: paid 1.9%, price −2.0%, total −0.1%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XYLD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.1 pts ahead of SPY

XYLD

+15.9%

SPY

+14.8%

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price +4.4%, total +15.9%, SPY +14.8%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

XYLD

+15.9%

10.7% of it arrived as cash

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price +4.4%, total +15.9%, SPY +14.8%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

XYLD

+15.9%

10.7% cash

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

10.7% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price +4.4%, total +15.9%, SPY +14.8%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PCOV costs 0.26 points a year less; XYLD is far larger, $3.4bn against $10m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

PCOV vs XYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	PCOV	XYLD
Paid and earned
Measure	PCOV	XYLD
Total return, 1 year	not published	+15.9%
Price change	fell 2.0% (since Aug 19, 2026)	rose 4.4% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate		93% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	PCOV	XYLD
Benchmark	not published	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	PCOV	XYLD
Expense ratio	0.34%	0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$10m	$3.4bn
Holdings
Measure	PCOV	XYLD
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

PCOV Principal Equity Premium Income ETF · Covered call XYLD Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer Principal Global X

Strategy covered call covered call

Benchmark none S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays not established monthly

Payout rate, annualized 7.2% 9.1%

Expense ratio 0.34% 0.60%

Cash paid, 1 year 1.9% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) 10.7%

Price change, 1 year −2.0% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +4.4%

Total return, 1 year −0.1% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +15.9%

Benchmark return, 1 year not published +14.8%

Ahead or behind not available +1.1 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 93%

Age 77 days 13.4 years

Net assets, PCOV as of Nov 2, 2026 and XYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $10m $3.4bn

As of Nov 4, 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: PCOV vs XYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	PCOV	XYLD	PCOV	XYLD	PCOV	XYLD
3 months	–	+2.4%	–	2.2%	–	+2.6 pts
6 months	–	+7.9%	–	5.1%	–	+2.9 pts
1 year	–	+15.9%	–	10.7%	–	+1.1 pts
3 years	–	+48.4%	–	34.0%	–	−34.5 pts
Since launchNot the same days: PCOV Aug 2026 · XYLD Jun 2013	−0.1%	+194.8%	1.9%	114.5%	not measured	−316.0 pts

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Alert

About each fund

PCOV

Over the period from its first trade on Aug 19, 2026 to Nov 4, 2026, PCOV paid 1.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 2.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.1%. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.2%, paid periodically.

XYLD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XYLD paid 10.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.1%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 93% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, PCOV or XYLD?: PCOV charges 0.34% a year and XYLD charges 0.60%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

PCOV vs GPIX PCOV vs DIVO PCOV vs SPYI PCOV vs JEPI XYLD vs FDND XYLD vs DDDD XYLD vs DYLG XYLD vs ACQQ

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →PCOV on its own →XYLD on its own →PCOV dividend history →XYLD dividend history →XYLD holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

PCOV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PCOV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Principal website ↗

XYLD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XYLD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

XYLD 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Global X page for XYLD ↗

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

How this is computed

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, PCOV against XYLD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/pcov-vs-xyld

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.