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Data as of .

SDTY vs YMAX: which paid, and which earned it?

Over the year YMAX paid 39.0% of its price in cash against SDTY’s 24.7%, though SDTY returned more with it reinvested.

YieldMax(R) S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF and YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs, side by side, income ETFs on ETFIQ.

24.7%SDTY cash paid, 1 year
39.0%YMAX cash paid, 1 year
+16.9%SDTY total return, 1 year
−0.6%YMAX total return, 1 year

ETFIQ Return Stability Score: SDTY scores higher

Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?

SDTY 50YMAX 8.33.2, the lowest in this set96.9, the highest

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

SDTY0.6 pts behind SPY · 1 year to Sep 11, 2026
SPY+17.5%SDTY+16.9%24.7% of it arrived as cash0.6 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY+17.5%SDTY+16.9%24.7% as cash0.6 pts behind SPY
YMAX18.1 pts behind SPY · 1 year to Sep 11, 2026
SPY+17.5%YMAX−0.6%18.1 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY+17.5%YMAX−0.6%18.1 pts behind SPY

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, SDTY and YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in SDTYOnly in YMAX
TREASURY BILL 92.47%YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95%
TREASURY BILL 3.84%Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36%
TREASURY BILL 3.68%Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01%
YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99%
YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88%
YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80%
YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72%
YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option 4.66%

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.

Performance, window by window

SDTY and YMAX over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
SDTYYMAXSDTYYMAXSDTYYMAX
3 months+4.6%+5.6%6.1%10.8%+1.3 pts+2.3 pts
6 months+14.8%+15.5%13.8%24.3%−1.2 pts−0.5 pts
1 year+16.9%−0.6%24.7%39.0%−0.6 pts−18.1 pts
Since launch+21.9%+41.0%35.1%91.3%−6.3 pts−25.7 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
SDTY and YMAX on the same fields, as of Sep 11, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SDTY
YieldMax(R) S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF
0DTE covered call on SPY, paying weekly
YMAX
YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs
Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly
IssuerYieldMaxYieldMax
Strategy0DTE covered callsynthetic covered call
BenchmarkS&P 500 (SPY)S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy
Paysweeklyweekly
Payout rate, annualized21.0%41.6%
Expense ratio1.08%1.33%
Cash paid, 1 year24.7%39.0%
Price change, 1 year−9.9%−41.0%
Total return, 1 year+16.9%−0.6%
Benchmark return, 1 year+17.5%+17.5%
Ahead or behind−0.6 pts−18.1 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate63%68%
Age582 days968 days

SDTY in plain words

Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, SDTY paid 24.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 9.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.6 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 21.0%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 63% 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).

YMAX in plain words

Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, YMAX paid 39.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 41.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.6%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 18.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 41.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 68% 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, SDTY or YMAX?
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, SDTY paid 24.7% of its starting price in cash and YMAX paid 39.0%, so YMAX paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, SDTY or YMAX?
With every distribution reinvested, SDTY returned +16.9% and YMAX returned −0.6% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so SDTY returned more.
Which is cheaper, SDTY or YMAX?
SDTY charges 1.08% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so SDTY 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.

SDTY against YMAX, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 11, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, SDTY against YMAX, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/sdty-vs-ymax Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources