Data as of .
QLDY vs SDTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year QLDY paid 29.2% of its price in cash against SDTY’s 24.4%, though SDTY returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: SDTY 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 SDTY hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QLDY | SDTY |
|---|---|---|
| First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 | 4.77% | 8.93% |
| Only in QLDY | Only in SDTY |
|---|---|
| Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 94.80% | SPX 12/18/2026 1200.26 C 88.32% |
| United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.53% | United States Treasury Bill 10/15/2026 2.55% |
| Ndxp Us 09/21/26 P29500 0.08% | United States Treasury Bill 02/18/2027 0.10% |
| Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05% | United States Treasury Bill 07/08/2027 0.09% |
| Cash & Other -0.06% | |
| Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 09/26 29650 -0.16% |
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 | SDTY | QLDY | SDTY | QLDY | SDTY | |
| 3 months | −6.6% | +3.2% | 8.3% | 5.9% | −4.1 pts | +1.0 pts |
| 6 months | +20.1% | +16.5% | 18.7% | 13.7% | −4.2 pts | −1.6 pts |
| 1 year | +10.6% | +15.8% | 29.2% | 24.4% | −11.2 pts | −0.8 pts |
| Since launch | +10.6% | +22.3% | 29.2% | 35.4% | −11.2 pts | −5.8 pts |
| QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying weekly | SDTY YieldMax(R) S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF 0DTE covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Defiance | YieldMax |
| Strategy | option income | 0DTE covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 19.6% | 19.8% |
| Expense ratio | 1.04% | 1.08% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 29.2% | 24.4% |
| Price change, 1 year | −20.3% | −10.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +10.6% | +15.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +21.8% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −11.2 pts | −0.8 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 100% |
| Age | 365 days | 589 days |
| Net assets | $52m | $28m |
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).
SDTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SDTY paid 24.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 10.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.8%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.8%, paid weekly. YieldMax 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).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, QLDY or SDTY?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QLDY paid 29.2% of its starting price in cash and SDTY paid 24.4%, 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 SDTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, QLDY returned +10.6% and SDTY returned +15.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so SDTY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QLDY or SDTY?
- QLDY charges 1.04% a year and SDTY charges 1.08%, so QLDY 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 SDTY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qldy-vs-sdty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.