Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
QLDY vs SCEP: Dividend Yield & Total Return
QLDY and SCEP both write options for income.
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Net assets: $53m on Nov 3, 2026 for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF, and $235m on Jun 30, 2026 for STERLING CAPITAL HEDGED EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF.
3.2 pts behind QQQ
QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.3%
QLDY
+9.1%
35.3% of it arrived as cash
3.2 pts behind QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
3.2 pts behind QQQ
QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.3%
QLDY
+9.1%
35.3% as cash
3.2 pts behind QQQ
35.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Not measured
SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SCEP
+5.3%
6.1% of it arrived as cash
Total return, distributions reinvested
Not measured
SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SCEP
+5.3%
6.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. SCEP since launch: paid 6.1%, price −1.0%, total +5.3%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
SCEP costs 0.39 points a year less.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | QLDY | SCEP |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +9.1% | not published |
| Price change | fell 27.2% (1 year) | fell 1.1% (6 months) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment | 100% of the Oct 5, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | its own stocks |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 1.04% | 0.65% |
| Net assets, QLDY as of Nov 3, 2026 and SCEP as of Jun 30, 2026 | $53m | $235m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QLDY and SCEP hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
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
| Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | QLDY | SCEP | QLDY | SCEP | QLDY | SCEP |
| 3 months | −4.5% | −1.2% | 9.5% | 1.7% | −1.1 pts | +0.8 pts |
| 6 months | −3.1% | +2.4% | 18.5% | 3.5% | −2.8 pts | +0.4 pts |
| 1 year | +9.1% | – | 35.3% | – | −3.2 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: QLDY Sep 2025 · SCEP Dec 2025 | +13.2% | +5.3% | 39.1% | 6.1% | −3.7 pts | not measured |
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QLDY
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 27.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.7%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
SCEP's own stocks, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Jun 30, 2026) returned +2.1% over the same days, so a holder was about even.
Over the 6 months to Nov 4, 2026, SCEP paid 3.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +2.4%. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.0%, paid monthly. Sterling Capital estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).
Questions people ask
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, QLDY against SCEP, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qldy-vs-scep
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). QLDY against SCEP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qldy-vs-scep
[QLDY against SCEP (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qldy-vs-scep)
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