Data as of .
ULTY vs YQQQ: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 44.9% of its price in cash against YQQQ’s 23.1%, though YQQQ returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: YQQQ 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, ULTY and YQQQ hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ULTY | YQQQ |
|---|---|---|
| First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 | 2.74% | 5.94% |
| Only in ULTY | Only in YQQQ |
|---|---|
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc 5.23% | United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 28.76% |
| MercadoLibre Inc 4.99% | United States Treasury Bill 07/08/2027 28.59% |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.75% | United States Treasury Bill 02/18/2027 17.25% |
| Strategy Inc 4.66% | United States Treasury Bill 12/10/2026 13.01% |
| Comfort Systems USA Inc 4.61% | United States Treasury Bill 10/15/2026 7.09% |
| Alphabet Inc 4.39% | QQQ 10/16/2026 720.02 P 1.66% |
| Lam Research Corp 4.34% | QQQ US 09/25/26 P690 0.06% |
| Coherent Corp 4.30% | QQQ US 09/18/26 P685 0.00% |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ULTY | YQQQ | ULTY | YQQQ | ULTY | YQQQ | |
| 3 months | −1.1% | +5.8% | 13.7% | 6.5% | −3.3 pts | +8.3 pts |
| 6 months | +14.0% | −13.9% | 30.1% | 10.8% | −4.0 pts | −38.2 pts |
| 1 year | −7.8% | −3.5% | 44.9% | 23.1% | −24.3 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Since launch | +10.7% | −17.6% | 86.9% | 37.0% | −44.1 pts | −71.2 pts |
| ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic 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 | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 59.8% | 21.3% |
| Expense ratio | 1.30% | 1.11% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 44.9% | 23.1% |
| Price change, 1 year | −54.1% | −25.7% |
| Total return, 1 year | −7.8% | −3.5% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −24.3 pts | −25.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 0% |
| Age | 932 days | 764 days |
| Net assets | $721m | $27m |
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, ULTY paid 44.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 54.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −7.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 24.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 59.8%, 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, ULTY or YQQQ?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, ULTY paid 44.9% of its starting price in cash and YQQQ paid 23.1%, 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, ULTY or YQQQ?
- With every distribution reinvested, ULTY returned −7.8% and YQQQ returned −3.5% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so YQQQ returned more.
- Which is cheaper, ULTY or YQQQ?
- ULTY charges 1.30% a year and YQQQ charges 1.11%, so YQQQ 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, ULTY against YQQQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ulty-vs-yqqq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.