Data as of .
RYLD vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 46.9% of its price in cash against RYLD’s 12.3%, though RYLD returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: RYLD scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 161 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, RYLD and ULTY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in RYLD | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| GLOBAL X RUSSELL 2000 ETF 99.96% | Alphabet Inc 5.66% |
| CASH 0.04% | Analog Devices Inc 5.47% |
| Amazon.com Inc 5.16% | |
| Lam Research Corp 4.99% | |
| Ciena Corp 4.95% | |
| Quanta Services Inc 4.95% | |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.86% | |
| NVIDIA Corp 4.80% |
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 Apr 30, 2026 and Sep 11, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RYLD | ULTY | RYLD | ULTY | RYLD | ULTY | |
| 3 months | +3.9% | −0.3% | 3.1% | 14.2% | +5.1 pts | −3.6 pts |
| 6 months | +13.1% | +11.2% | 6.3% | 29.8% | −4.5 pts | −4.8 pts |
| 1 year | +18.1% | −5.8% | 12.3% | 46.9% | −3.1 pts | −23.3 pts |
| 3 years | +30.9% | not published | 32.7% | not published | −31.7 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +51.9% | +9.0% | 67.2% | 86.7% | −51.8 pts | −45.9 pts |
| RYLD Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF Covered call on IWM, paying monthly | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Global X | YieldMax |
| Strategy | covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Russell 2000 (IWM) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 12.4% | 61.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 12.3% | 46.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +4.7% | −53.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +18.1% | −5.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +21.2% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | −3.1 pts | −23.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 100% |
| Age | 2699 days | 925 days |
RYLD in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, RYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.1%. Russell 2000 (IWM) returned +21.2% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.4%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Aug 27, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, ULTY paid 46.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 53.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −5.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 23.3 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 61.5%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 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, RYLD or ULTY?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, RYLD paid 12.3% of its starting price in cash and ULTY paid 46.9%, so ULTY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, RYLD or ULTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, RYLD returned +18.1% and ULTY returned −5.8% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so RYLD returned more.
- Which is cheaper, RYLD or ULTY?
- RYLD charges 0.60% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so RYLD 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, RYLD against ULTY, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ryld-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.