Data as of .
SDTY vs YQQQ: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year SDTY paid 24.4% of its price in cash against YQQQ’s 23.1%, and 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, SDTY and YQQQ hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | SDTY | YQQQ |
|---|---|---|
| First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 | 8.93% | 5.94% |
| United States Treasury Bill 10/15/2026 | 2.55% | 7.09% |
| United States Treasury Bill 02/18/2027 | 0.10% | 17.25% |
| United States Treasury Bill 07/08/2027 | 0.09% | 28.59% |
| Only in SDTY | Only in YQQQ |
|---|---|
| SPX 12/18/2026 1200.26 C 88.32% | United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 28.76% |
| United States Treasury Bill 12/10/2026 13.01% | |
| QQQ 10/16/2026 720.02 P 1.66% | |
| QQQ US 09/25/26 P690 0.06% | |
| QQQ US 09/18/26 P685 0.00% | |
| QQQ US 10/16/26 C925 0.00% | |
| QQQ US 09/25/26 P710 -0.13% | |
| INVESCO PUT OPT 09/26 712 -0.18% |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDTY | YQQQ | SDTY | YQQQ | SDTY | YQQQ | |
| 3 months | +3.2% | +5.8% | 5.9% | 6.5% | +1.0 pts | +8.3 pts |
| 6 months | +16.5% | −13.9% | 13.7% | 10.8% | −1.6 pts | −38.2 pts |
| 1 year | +15.8% | −3.5% | 24.4% | 23.1% | −0.8 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Since launch | +22.3% | −17.6% | 35.4% | 37.0% | −5.8 pts | −71.2 pts |
| SDTY YieldMax(R) S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF 0DTE covered call on SPY, paying weekly | YQQQ YieldMax(R) Short N100 Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on QQQ, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | 0DTE covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 19.8% | 21.3% |
| Expense ratio | 1.08% | 1.11% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 24.4% | 23.1% |
| Price change, 1 year | −10.8% | −25.7% |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.8% | −3.5% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −0.8 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 0% |
| Age | 589 days | 764 days |
| Net assets | $28m | $27m |
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).
YQQQ in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, YQQQ paid 23.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 25.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −3.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 25.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 21.3%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Sep 18, 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 YQQQ?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SDTY paid 24.4% of its starting price in cash and YQQQ paid 23.1%, so SDTY 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 YQQQ?
- With every distribution reinvested, SDTY returned +15.8% and YQQQ returned −3.5% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so SDTY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, SDTY or YQQQ?
- SDTY charges 1.08% a year and YQQQ charges 1.11%, 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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, SDTY against YQQQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/sdty-vs-yqqq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.