First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF
$22.43+0.04 (+0.18%)
- 0.75%
- $1.0B
- +23.2%
- 11.16%
- 0.4M sh
- $22.42
- low $19.23high $22.55
The ETF.net FTQI Grade
A
Score 71 out of 100
- 9 of 31
Score 71 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.D38 out of 100Rank 19 of 31Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A95 out of 100Rank 7 of 19Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A77 out of 100Rank 2 of 30Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A72 out of 100Rank 5 of 31Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A91 out of 100Rank 1 of 23Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A89 out of 100Rank 3 of 31
Our read on FTQI
AMost Nasdaq-100 income funds sell calls on everything, all the time. FTQI works a dial: a hand-picked stock basket with index calls written on 50% to 100% of assets, so managers choose how much upside gets sold. Running since 2014, pays monthly.
The fund seeks current income by investing primarily in U.S.-listed equities and writing exchange-traded covered calls on the Nasdaq-100 Index to obtain option-premium cash flow.
Why people hold it
- The overlay is adjustable by design. The prospectus sets call notional at 50% to 100% of assets, so coverage can flex rather than run wide open every cycle.sec.gov
- Managers may also buy a higher-strike Nasdaq-100 call against the ones they sell, a spread built to keep some index upside above the short strike.sec.gov
- The equity sleeve is actively chosen (roughly 230 US-listed stocks) instead of a straight index clone, with the option premium paid out monthly.ftportfolios.com
- Trading since 2014, it predates most of the Nasdaq-100 premium-income wave and stands in the upper tier of a now-crowded peer group.
Worth knowing
- At 0.75%, it prices above the category median, and Nasdaq-100 income rivals such as QQA, GPIQ and JEPQ sit meaningfully lower.
- The Nasdaq mandate dates to a 2022 rename. Before that it ran a hedged S&P 500 buywrite, so the longest stretch of its record reflects a different strategy.cbonds.com
- Selling index calls trades away part of a Nasdaq rally for premium, and the monthly payout can include return of capital, which reduces your cost basis.sec.gov
FTQI Holdings
- Stocks
- 174
- 45%
- AAPL
Sectors
- Technology52.9%
- Consumer Discretionary10.9%
- Communication8.9%
- Health Care8.8%
- Financials5.5%
- Industrials4.7%
- Energy2.5%
- Consumer Staples2.5%
- Utilities1.2%
- Materials1.1%
- Real Estate1.0%
Geography
- United States97.09%
- United Kingdom0.61%
- Netherlands0.50%
- Ireland0.36%
- Israel0.31%
- France0.27%
- Denmark0.25%
- Bermuda0.24%
- 0.37%
FTQI Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
FTQI$12,320
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | FTQI |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +17.5% |
| 1 month | +2.3% |
| 3 months | +3.3% |
| 1 year | +23.2% |
| 3 years | +18.5% |
| 5 years | +12.3% |
| 10 years | +8.3% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | FTQI |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +17.5% | |
| 2025 | +12.7% | |
| 2024 | +18.3% | |
| 2023 | +23.6% | |
| 2022 | −8.8% | |
| 2021 | +10.5% | |
| 2020 | −6.6% |
FTQI in the news
FTQI Dividends
- 11.16%
- $2.50
- $0.22 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
FTQI Risk
- 9.1%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.45
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −19.4%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.64
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FTQI Cost
0.75%
FTQI0.75%
- The middle half of Nasdaq-100 Option Income funds
- Median 0.71%
17 of the 30 Nasdaq-100 Option Income funds charge less.
Other funds in Nasdaq-100 Option Income
- AQQQINEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETFExpense ratio 0.68%1 year return +20.7%
- AROCQJPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Yield ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return —
- BTDAQTappAlpha Innovation 100 Growth & Daily Income ETFExpense ratio 0.68%1 year return +27.2%
- BIQQQProShares - Nasdaq-100 High Income ETFExpense ratio 0.55%1 year return +20.8%
- BQRMIGlobal X - Nasdaq 100 Risk Managed Income ETFExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +9.5%