Category Review
The four largest Nasdaq-100 income funds trailed the stocks by 0.9 to 5.8 percentage points
Global X - Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF
$18.69+0.01 (+0.05%)
- 0.60%
- $8.5B
- +24.8%
- 11.41%
- 4.5M sh
- $18.69
- low $16.63high $18.70
The ETF.net QYLD Grade
A
Score 81 out of 100
- 2 of 31
Score 81 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.B65 out of 100Rank 11 of 31Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A98 out of 100Rank 5 of 19Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A80 out of 100Rank 1 of 30Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A90 out of 100Rank 2 of 31Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A79 out of 100Rank 5 of 23Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A91 out of 100Rank 2 of 31
Our read on QYLD
ARunning since 2013, QYLD is the no-frills version of the Nasdaq-100 income trade: own the index, sell calls against it, pay out monthly. No stock picking, no manager discretion, just a rules-based buy-write index followed closely.
QYLD seeks, before fees and expenses, to generally match the price and yield performance of the Cboe NASDAQ-100® BuyWrite V2 Index. It uses a buy-write strategy that holds NASDAQ-100 stocks and sells corresponding call options.
Why people hold it
- Simple machine: holds Nasdaq-100 stocks, sells the matching calls, and tracks the Cboe NASDAQ-100 BuyWrite V2 Index closely. Nothing to second-guess.
- Income arrives monthly, and the 0.60% fee sits under the median for Nasdaq-100 options-income funds.
- A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades very actively, so getting in and out is rarely the hard part.
Worth knowing
- Writing calls sells the upside. When the Nasdaq-100 runs past the strike, that gain goes to the option buyer, not the fund.
- Leaner options on the same index: QQA at 0.33%, GPIQ and JEPQ at 0.35%.
- Payouts are funded by option premium and no target rate is declared, so the monthly check varies with volatility.
QYLD Holdings
- Stocks
- 102
- 49%
- NVDA
Sectors
- Technology61.0%
- Communication11.6%
- Consumer Discretionary9.9%
- Industrials5.7%
- Consumer Staples5.6%
- Health Care3.6%
- Utilities1.1%
- Materials0.9%
- Energy0.4%
- Financials0.2%
Geography
- United States95.49%
- United Kingdom1.63%
- Netherlands1.33%
- Canada0.96%
- Uruguay0.39%
- Ireland0.21%
QYLD Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
QYLD$12,475
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 | QYLD |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +15.7% |
| 1 month | +2.7% |
| 3 months | +4.2% |
| 1 year | +24.8% |
| 3 years | +16.0% |
| 5 years | +9.4% |
| 10 years | +10.1% |
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 | QYLD |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +15.7% | |
| 2025 | +9.3% | |
| 2024 | +19.3% | |
| 2023 | +22.7% | |
| 2022 | −19.1% | |
| 2021 | +10.4% | |
| 2020 | +8.7% |
QYLD in the news
QYLD Dividends
- 11.41%
- $2.13
- $0.18 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
QYLD Risk
- 7.8%
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.
- 1.47
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.
- −24.6%
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.
- 0.48
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
QYLD Cost
0.60%
QYLD0.60%
- The middle half of Nasdaq-100 Option Income funds
- Median 0.71%
9 of the 30 Nasdaq-100 Option Income funds charge less.
Other funds in Nasdaq-100 Option Income
- AQQAInvesco QQQ Income Advantage ETFExpense ratio 0.33%1 year return +23.0%
- AGPIQGoldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium Income ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +25.5%
- AQYLGGlobal X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call & Growth ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +26.0%
- AJEPQJPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +21.5%
- ABALQiShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return —