Data as of .
XLEI vs XLYI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year XLEI paid 20.7% of its price in cash against XLYI’s 13.0%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XLEI 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, XLEI and XLYI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | XLEI | XLYI |
|---|---|---|
| SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS | 0.51% | 0.30% |
| US DOLLAR | 0.02% | 0.08% |
| Only in XLEI | Only in XLYI |
|---|---|
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC 100.58% | STATE STREET CONSUMER DISCRETI 100.46% |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 69 CALL -0.03% | STATE STREET CONSUMER DISCRETI OCT26 118 CALL -0.00% |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 68 CALL -0.12% | STATE STREET CONSUMER DISCRETI OCT26 116 CALL -0.23% |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 67 CALL -0.95% | STATE STREET CONSUMER DISCRETI OCT26 114 CALL -0.61% |
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 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLEI | XLYI | XLEI | XLYI | XLEI | XLYI | |
| 3 months | +17.4% | −2.5% | 5.2% | 3.0% | −3.0 pts | +2.5 pts |
| 6 months | +12.6% | +5.1% | 9.4% | 7.4% | +2.7 pts | +1.6 pts |
| 1 year | +37.8% | −2.8% | 20.7% | 13.0% | −10.0 pts | +4.1 pts |
| Since launch | +41.2% | +3.0% | 23.1% | 15.3% | −10.0 pts | +2.7 pts |
| XLEI State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLE, paying monthly | XLYI State Street(R) Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| Strategy | covered call | covered call |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Consumer discretionary (XLY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 15.8% | 10.3% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 20.7% | 13.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | +12.8% | −15.5% |
| Total return, 1 year | +37.8% | −2.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | −6.9% |
| Ahead or behind | −10.0 pts | +4.1 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 415 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $119m | $28m |
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.
XLYI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLYI paid 13.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 15.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −2.8%. Consumer discretionary (XLY) returned −6.9% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 10.3%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, XLEI or XLYI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLEI paid 20.7% of its starting price in cash and XLYI paid 13.0%, so XLEI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, XLEI or XLYI?
- With every distribution reinvested, XLEI returned +37.8% and XLYI returned −2.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so XLEI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, XLEI or XLYI?
- XLEI charges 0.35% a year and XLYI 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, XLEI against XLYI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/xlei-vs-xlyi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.