Data as of .
QLDY vs QUSA: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year QLDY paid 29.2% of its price in cash against QUSA’s 13.8%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: QUSA scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 173 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. 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, QLDY and QUSA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in QLDY | Only in QUSA |
|---|---|
| Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 94.80% | Microsoft Corp 6.08% |
| First American Government Obligations Fu 4.77% | Apple Inc 5.99% |
| United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 0.53% | NVIDIA Corp 5.78% |
| Ndxp Us 09/21/26 P29500 0.08% | Berkshire Hathaway Inc 5.35% |
| Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05% | Caterpillar Inc 4.91% |
| Cash & Other -0.06% | Broadcom Inc 4.70% |
| Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 09/26 29650 -0.16% | Costco Wholesale Corp 4.40% |
| Coca-Cola Co/The 4.33% |
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 Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QLDY | QUSA | QLDY | QUSA | QLDY | QUSA | |
| 3 months | −6.6% | −1.9% | 8.3% | 3.6% | −4.1 pts | −3.6 pts |
| 6 months | +20.1% | +10.4% | 18.7% | 7.8% | −4.2 pts | −4.3 pts |
| 1 year | +10.6% | +3.5% | 29.2% | 13.8% | −11.2 pts | −11.7 pts |
| Since launch | +10.6% | +4.9% | 29.2% | 15.1% | −11.2 pts | −25.8 pts |
| QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying weekly | QUSA VistaShares Target 15 USA Quality Income ETF Covered call on QUAL, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Defiance | VistaShares |
| Strategy | option income | covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | USA Quality (QUAL), used as the quality proxy |
| Pays | weekly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 19.6% | 15.3% |
| Expense ratio | 1.04% | 0.97% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 29.2% | 13.8% |
| Price change, 1 year | −20.3% | −11.0% |
| Total return, 1 year | +10.6% | +3.5% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +21.8% | +15.2% |
| Ahead or behind | −11.2 pts | −11.7 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | not published |
| Age | 365 days | 500 days |
| Net assets | $52m | $22m |
QLDY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QLDY paid 29.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 20.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +10.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.6%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 17, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
QUSA in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QUSA paid 13.8% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 11.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +3.5%. USA Quality (QUAL), used as the quality proxy returned +15.2% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.7 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 15.3%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, QLDY or QUSA?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QLDY paid 29.2% of its starting price in cash and QUSA paid 13.8%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, QLDY or QUSA?
- With every distribution reinvested, QLDY returned +10.6% and QUSA returned +3.5% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so QLDY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QLDY or QUSA?
- QLDY charges 1.04% a year and QUSA charges 0.97%, so QUSA 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, QLDY against QUSA, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qldy-vs-qusa Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.