Data as of .
WEPN vs XLEI: which paid, and which earned it?
WEPN and XLEI both write options for income.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, WEPN and XLEI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in WEPN | Only in XLEI |
|---|---|
| Invesco DB Base Metals Fund 6.48% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC 100.74% |
| AeroVironment Inc 5.72% | SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS 0.49% |
| Palo Alto Networks Inc 4.93% | US DOLLAR 0.02% |
| Crowdstrike Holdings Inc 4.82% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 69 -0.04% |
| VanEck Steel ETF 4.28% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 68 -0.14% |
| BWX Technologies Inc 4.14% | STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 67 -1.07% |
| 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 17, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEPN | XLEI | WEPN | XLEI | WEPN | XLEI | |
| 3 months | +0.6% | +17.4% | 3.0% | 5.2% | +11.0 pts | −3.0 pts |
| 6 months | +1.1% | +12.6% | 6.2% | 9.4% | +4.9 pts | +2.7 pts |
| 1 year | not published | +37.8% | not published | 20.7% | not published | −10.0 pts |
| Since launch | −7.3% | +41.2% | 6.1% | 23.1% | +5.2 pts | −10.0 pts |
| WEPN Nicholas Defense and Rare Earth Income ETF Option income on ITA, paying weekly | XLEI State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLE, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Nicholas | State Street |
| Strategy | option income | covered call |
| Benchmark | Aerospace and defense (ITA), used as the proxy | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy |
| Pays | weekly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 11.9% | 15.8% |
| Expense ratio | 1.11% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 6.1% (since launch on Mar 3, 2026) | 20.7% |
| Price change, 1 year | −13.3% | +12.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | −7.3% (since launch on Mar 3, 2026) | +37.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | −12.5% | +47.8% |
| Ahead or behind | +5.2 pts | −10.0 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 199 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $6m | $118m |
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.
XLEI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLEI paid 20.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +37.8%. Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy returned +47.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.0 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 15.8%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which is cheaper, WEPN or XLEI?
- WEPN charges 1.11% a year and XLEI charges 0.35%, so XLEI 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, WEPN against XLEI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/wepn-vs-xlei Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.