Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
QQQI vs SCEP: Dividend Yield & Total Return
QQQI and SCEP both write options for income.
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Net assets: $15.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF, and $235m on Jun 30, 2026 for STERLING CAPITAL HEDGED EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF.
3.4 pts behind QQQ
QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.3%
QQQI
+8.9%
13.9% of it arrived as cash
3.4 pts behind QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
3.4 pts behind QQQ
QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+12.3%
QQQI
+8.9%
13.9% as cash
3.4 pts behind QQQ
13.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 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 0.03 points a year less.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | QQQI | SCEP |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +8.9% | not published |
| Price change | fell 5.4% (1 year) | fell 1.1% (6 months) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 100% of the Oct 23, 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 | 0.68% | 0.65% |
| Net assets, QQQI as of Oct 28, 2026 and SCEP as of Jun 30, 2026 | $15.5bn | $235m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 40% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QQQI and SCEP hold 40% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
40% 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 | QQQI | SCEP | QQQI | SCEP | QQQI | SCEP |
| 3 months | −2.2% | −1.2% | 3.5% | 1.7% | +1.3 pts | +0.8 pts |
| 6 months | −0.2% | +2.4% | 6.9% | 3.5% | +0.1 pts | +0.4 pts |
| 1 year | +8.9% | – | 13.9% | – | −3.4 pts | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: QQQI Jan 2024 · SCEP Dec 2025 | +53.8% | +5.3% | 41.2% | 6.1% | −11.2 pts | not measured |
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QQQI
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQI paid 13.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 5.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.9%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.7%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 23, 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, QQQI against SCEP, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-scep
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). QQQI against SCEP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-scep
[QQQI against SCEP (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-scep)
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