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ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

Data as of .

PCOV vs YQQQ: which paid, and which earned it?

PCOV and YQQQ both write options for income.

Principal Equity Premium Income ETF and YieldMax(R) Short N100 Option Income Strategy ETF.

0.0%PCOV cash paid, 1 year
23.1%YQQQ cash paid, 1 year
−3.7%PCOV total return, 1 year
−3.5%YQQQ total return, 1 year
PCOV3 pts behind SPY · since launch to Sep 18, 2026
SPY−0.7%PCOV−3.7%3 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY−0.7%PCOV−3.7%3 pts behind SPY
YQQQ25.3 pts behind QQQ · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
QQQ+21.8%YQQQ−3.5%25.3 pts behind QQQTotal return, distributions reinvestedQQQ+21.8%YQQQ−3.5%25.3 pts behind QQQ

Performance, window by window

PCOV and YQQQ over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
PCOVYQQQPCOVYQQQPCOVYQQQ
3 monthsnot published+5.8%not published6.5%not published+8.3 pts
6 monthsnot published−13.9%not published10.8%not published−38.2 pts
1 yearnot published−3.5%not published23.1%not published−25.3 pts
Since launch−3.7%−17.6%0.0%37.0%−3.0 pts−71.2 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
PCOV and YQQQ on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PCOV
Principal Equity Premium Income ETF
Covered call on SPY
YQQQ
YieldMax(R) Short N100 Option Income Strategy ETF
Synthetic covered call on QQQ, paying weekly
IssuerPrincipalYieldMax
Strategycovered callsynthetic covered call
BenchmarkS&P 500 (SPY)Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)
Paysnot establishedweekly
Payout rate, annualizednot published21.3%
Expense ratio0.34%1.11%
Cash paid, 1 year0.0% (since launch on Aug 19, 2026)23.1%
Price change, 1 year−3.7%−25.7%
Total return, 1 year−3.7% (since launch on Aug 19, 2026)−3.5%
Benchmark return, 1 year−0.7%+21.8%
Ahead or behind−3.0 pts−25.3 pts
Return of capital, latest estimatenot published0%
Age30 days764 days
Net assetsnot published$27m

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.

YQQQ in plain words

Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, YQQQ paid 23.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 25.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −3.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 25.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 21.3%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 0% 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 YQQQ?
PCOV charges 0.34% a year and YQQQ charges 1.11%, 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.

PCOV against YQQQ, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, PCOV against YQQQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/pcov-vs-yqqq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources