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Data as of .

WEPN vs XLCI: which paid, and which earned it?

WEPN and XLCI both write options for income.

Nicholas Defense and Rare Earth Income ETF and State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF.

6.1%WEPN cash paid, 1 year
10.9%XLCI cash paid, 1 year
−7.3%WEPN total return, 1 year
+2.2%XLCI total return, 1 year
WEPN5.2 pts ahead of ITA · since launch to Sep 18, 2026
ITA−12.5%WEPN−7.3%5.2 pts ahead of ITATotal return, distributions reinvestedITA−12.5%WEPN−7.3%5.2 pts ahead of ITA
XLCI7.9 pts ahead of XLC · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
XLC−5.7%XLCI+2.2%10.9% cash7.9 pts ahead of XLCTotal return, distributions reinvestedXLC−5.7%XLCI+2.2%7.9 pts ahead of XLC

What they hold in common

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

Only in each
Only in WEPNOnly in XLCI
Invesco DB Base Metals Fund 6.48%STATE STREET COMMUNICATION SER 99.79%
AeroVironment Inc 5.72%SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS 0.38%
Palo Alto Networks Inc 4.93%STATE STREET COMMUNICATION SER OCT26 117 CALL -0.17%
Crowdstrike Holdings Inc 4.82%
VanEck Steel ETF 4.28%
BWX Technologies Inc 4.14%
Ondas Inc 4.02%
Palantir Technologies Inc 3.99%

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 18, 2026.

Performance, window by window

WEPN and XLCI over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WEPNXLCIWEPNXLCIWEPNXLCI
3 months+0.6%+3.2%3.0%2.9%+11.0 pts+1.6 pts
6 months+1.1%+2.8%6.2%5.5%+4.9 pts+3.4 pts
1 yearnot published+2.2%not published10.9%not published+7.9 pts
Since launch−7.3%+7.3%6.1%12.4%+5.2 pts+1.9 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
WEPN and XLCI on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
WEPN
Nicholas Defense and Rare Earth Income ETF
Option income on ITA, paying weekly
XLCI
State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF
Covered call on XLC, paying monthly
IssuerNicholasState Street
Strategyoption incomecovered call
BenchmarkAerospace and defense (ITA), used as the proxyCommunication services (XLC)
Paysweeklymonthly
Payout rate, annualized11.9%8.1%
Expense ratio1.11%0.35%
Cash paid, 1 year6.1% (since launch on Mar 3, 2026)10.9%
Price change, 1 year−13.3%−8.8%
Total return, 1 year−7.3% (since launch on Mar 3, 2026)+2.2%
Benchmark return, 1 year−12.5%−5.7%
Ahead or behind+5.2 pts+7.9 pts
Return of capital, latest estimatenot publishednot published
Age199 days415 days
Net assets$6m$3m

WEPN in plain words

Over the period since launch on Mar 3, 2026 to Sep 18, 2026, WEPN paid 6.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 13.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −7.3%. Aerospace and defense (ITA), used as the proxy returned −12.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.9%, paid weekly.

XLCI in plain words

Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLCI paid 10.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 8.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +2.2%. Communication services (XLC) returned −5.7% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 7.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.1%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, WEPN or XLCI?
WEPN charges 1.11% a year and XLCI charges 0.35%, so XLCI 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.

WEPN against XLCI, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, WEPN against XLCI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/wepn-vs-xlci Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources