Data as of .
SCEP vs XSPI: which paid, and which earned it?
SCEP and XSPI both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, SCEP and XSPI hold 39% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | SCEP | XSPI |
|---|---|---|
| APPLE INC | 5.71% | 7.83% |
| NVIDIA CORP | 5.70% | 8.50% |
| AMAZON.COM INC | 4.68% | 3.94% |
| MICROSOFT CORP | 3.49% | 5.80% |
| ALPHABET INC | 5.98% | 3.24% |
| BROADCOM INC | 5.61% | 2.65% |
| META PLATFORMS INC | 2.23% | 2.25% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES INC | 2.19% | 1.40% |
| JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 1.54% | 1.02% |
| VISA INC | 1.98% | 0.94% |
| ABBVIE INC | 1.62% | 0.73% |
| WALMART INC | 1.05% | 0.73% |
| Only in SCEP | Only in XSPI |
|---|---|
| JP MORGAN CHASE & COMPANY 3.55% | Alphabet Inc 2.57% |
| WILLIAMS COMPANIES INC (THE) 2.15% | Micron Technology Inc 1.75% |
| VERTIV HOLDINGS COMPANY 1.82% | Tesla Inc 1.59% |
| CHUBB LTD (SWITZERLAND) 1.56% | Berkshire Hathaway Inc 1.47% |
| SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY (THE) 1.26% | JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. 1.47% |
| ELI LILLY & COMPANY 1.25% | Eli Lilly & Co 1.42% |
| MKS INC 1.22% | SPX US 10/16/26 C7500 1.39% |
| PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY (THE) 1.03% | ExxonMobil Holdings Corp 1.08% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCEP | XSPI | SCEP | XSPI | SCEP | XSPI | |
| 3 months | −0.1% | +3.7% | 1.7% | 4.2% | −2.4 pts | +1.4 pts |
| 6 months | +8.3% | +20.0% | 3.7% | 9.2% | −9.7 pts | +1.9 pts |
| Since launch | +3.5% | +11.6% | 5.0% | 11.1% | −8.2 pts | +0.2 pts |
| SCEP STERLING CAPITAL HEDGED EQUITY PREMIUM INCOME ETF Covered call on SPY, paying monthly | XSPI NEOS Boosted S&P 500(R) High Income ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Sterling Capital | NEOS |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 7.1% | 17.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.65% | 0.98% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 5.0% (since launch on Dec 11, 2025) | 11.1% (since launch on Feb 3, 2026) |
| Price change, 1 year | −1.6% | −0.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +3.5% (since launch on Dec 11, 2025) | +11.6% (since launch on Feb 3, 2026) |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +11.7% | +11.3% |
| Ahead or behind | −8.2 pts | +0.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 99% |
| Age | 281 days | 227 days |
| Net assets | $235m | $113m |
SCEP in plain words
Over the period since launch on Dec 11, 2025 to Sep 18, 2026, SCEP paid 5.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +3.5%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +11.7% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 8.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.1%, paid monthly.
XSPI in plain words
Over the period since launch on Feb 3, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, XSPI paid 11.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.6%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +11.3% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 17.1%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Jul 10, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, SCEP or XSPI?
- SCEP charges 0.65% a year and XSPI charges 0.98%, so SCEP 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, SCEP against XSPI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/scep-vs-xspi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.