Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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Income ETFs

XYLD vs YMAX: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, YMAX paid 36.1% of its price in cash against XYLD’s 10.6%, though XYLD returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $3.4bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF, and $352m on Oct 27, 2026 for YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs.

At a glance
10.6%
XYLD cash paid, 1 year
36.1%
YMAX cash paid, 1 year
+15.8%
XYLD total return, 1 year
−4.0%
YMAX total return, 1 year
XYLD · 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 2.2 pts ahead of SPY
XYLD
+15.8%
SPY
+13.6%

2.2 pts ahead of SPY

XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.6%, price +4.3%, total +15.8%, SPY +13.6%, +2.2 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

SPY

+13.6%

XYLD

+15.8%

10.6% of it arrived as cash

2.2 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

2.2 pts ahead of SPY

XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.6%, price +4.3%, total +15.8%, SPY +13.6%, +2.2 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

SPY

+13.6%

XYLD

+15.8%

10.6% cash

2.2 pts ahead of SPY

10.6% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.6%, price +4.3%, total +15.8%, SPY +13.6%, +2.2 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Data to Oct 28, 2026.
YMAX · 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 14.9 pts behind its own holdings
YMAX
−4.0%
Own
+10.9%

14.9 pts behind its own holdings

YMAX over 1 year: paid 36.1%, price −42.4%, total −4.0%, its own holdings +10.9%, −14.9 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

its own holdings

+10.9%

YMAX

−4.0%

14.9 pts behind its own holdings

Total return, distributions reinvested

14.9 pts behind its own holdings

YMAX over 1 year: paid 36.1%, price −42.4%, total −4.0%, its own holdings +10.9%, −14.9 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

its own holdings

+10.9%

YMAX

−4.0%

14.9 pts behind its own holdings

36.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. YMAX over 1 year: paid 36.1%, price −42.4%, total −4.0%, its own holdings +10.9%, −14.9 pts. Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Data to Oct 28, 2026.

Pair scorecard

XYLD costs 0.73 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 19.8 points; XYLD is 9.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

XYLD vs YMAX: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureXYLDYMAX
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 year+15.8%−4.0%
Price change, 1 yearrose 4.3%fell 42.4%
Return of capital, issuer estimate93% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment35% of the Oct 29, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkS&P 500, measured through SPYits own holdings
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.60%1.33%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026$3.4bn$366m
Holdings
Holdings in common0%
ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · XYLD scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?
IQ Income Score77.7XYLD16.2YMAX

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 164 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

A percentile among the 164 income ETFs not writing on a single company. One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Jan 26, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026 · 143 weekly returns
XYLD YMAX
Return
Total return edge XYLD (slight) +39.7% +38.1%
Annualized edge XYLD (slight) +12.9% +12.5%
Price return edge XYLD +3.1% −64.9%
Risk
Volatility edge XYLD 8.9% 21.8%
Max drawdown edge XYLD −14.0% −24.1%
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge XYLD 0.92 0.45
Sortino edge XYLD 1.30 0.65
Calmar edge XYLD 0.92 0.52
Reading

XYLD returned slightly more: +39.7% to +38.1%. XYLD swung less: 8.9% to 21.8%. XYLD fell less at its worst: −14.0% to −24.1%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: XYLD vs YMAX: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureXYLDYMAXEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+39.7%+38.1%XYLD (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+12.9%+12.5%XYLD (slight)Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return+3.1%−64.9%XYLDPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility8.9%21.8%XYLDSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation6.3%15.1%XYLDLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−14.0%−24.1%XYLDDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.920.45XYLDReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.300.65XYLDReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar0.920.52XYLDAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 143 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

0%

By the books each fund has filed, XYLD and YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first XYLD YMAX
Only in one fund ↓
Only in XYLD
NVIDIA CORPORATION 7.64%
APPLE INC. 7.13%
MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.42%
AMAZON.COM, INC. 4.18%
ALPHABET INC. 3.28%
BROADCOM INC. 2.90%
ALPHABET INC. 2.65%
META PLATFORMS, INC. 1.92%
Only in YMAX
YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 5.17%
YieldMaxTM PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF 5.06%
YieldMax MRNA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.93%
YieldMax AI Option Income Strategy ETF 4.75%
YieldMax MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF 4.53%
YieldMax SNOW Option Income Strategy ETF 4.53%
YieldMax COIN Option Income Strategy ETF 4.41%
YieldMax Bitcoin Option Income Strategy ETF 4.36%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

XYLD Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly YMAX YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs · Synthetic covered call on its own holdings, paying weekly
Strategy covered call synthetic covered call
Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) YMAX's own holdings, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Oct 26, 2026)
Pays monthly weekly
Payout rate, annualized 9.1% 39.9%
Expense ratio 0.60% 1.33%
Cash paid, 1 year 10.6% 36.1%
Price change, 1 year +4.3% −42.4%
Total return, 1 year +15.8% −4.0%
Benchmark return, 1 year +13.6% +10.9%
Ahead or behind +2.2 pts −14.9 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 93% 35%
Age 13.3 years 2.8 years
Net assets, XYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 and YMAX as of Oct 27, 2026 $3.4bn $352m

As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price. Payout rate: the latest payment, annualized, over today’s price.

Window by window

Window by window: XYLD vs YMAX: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowXYLDYMAXXYLDYMAXXYLDYMAX
3 months+5.0%+10.0%2.3%10.6%−1.1 pts−18.4 pts
6 months+9.2%+10.4%5.2%22.3%+0.1 pts−15.1 pts
1 year+15.8%−4.0%10.6%36.1%+2.2 pts−14.9 pts
3 years+53.3%–35.1%–−41.7 pts–
Since launchNot the same days: XYLD Jun 2013 · YMAX Jan 2024+195.1%+43.9%114.5%93.4%−320.2 ptsnot measured

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Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-CADB22AFA9

XYLD and YMAX are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. Income paid. XYLD paid 10.6% and YMAX 36.1% (cash paid over 1 year, as a share of its price at the start), a gap of 25.5 points.
  2. What each is measured against. XYLD is measured against S&P 500 through SPY and YMAX against its own holdings.
  3. Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 28, 2026).

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
XYLD

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XYLD paid 10.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.8%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +13.6% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 2.2 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.1%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 93% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

YMAX

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, YMAX paid 36.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 42.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −4.0%. YMAX's own holdings, without the options (from its filed holdings, rebalanced at each filing; latest Oct 26, 2026) returned +10.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 14.9 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 39.9%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 35% of the distribution paid Oct 29, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, XYLD or YMAX?
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XYLD paid 10.6% of its starting price in cash and YMAX paid 36.1%, so YMAX paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, XYLD or YMAX?
With every distribution reinvested, XYLD returned +15.8% and YMAX −4.0% over the year to Oct 28, 2026.
Which is cheaper, XYLD or YMAX?
XYLD charges 0.60% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so XYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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Sources and dates

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

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ETFIQ, XYLD against YMAX, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/xyld-vs-ymax

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