EDGQ vs QGRD

EDGQAGlobal X Nasdaq-100 Income Edge ETF

QGRDDHorizon Nasdaq-100 Defined Risk ETF

In short

EDGQ A Nasdaq-100 covered-call fund that rewrites its calls every week and dials coverage up or down with volatility, targeting a 13% annualized distribution rate. Fee waived to zero through March 1, 2027 (0.53% gross).

QGRD Most Nasdaq-100 options funds are built around selling calls. QGRD runs an actively managed collar on FLEX options tied to the same index, spending some upside to fund an explicit downside cushion.

Stated mandate

EDGQ The Fund seeks current income and exposure to the Nasdaq-100 Index. It uses an actively managed covered-call strategy, writing calls on part of its Nasdaq-100 portfolio to generate weekly income while leaving some exposure uncapped for potential appreciation.

QGRD The fund seeks capital appreciation and capital preservation. It primarily uses FLEX options tied to the Nasdaq-100 and actively managed collars to pursue exposure while generating income, managing volatility, and reducing downside risk.

Why people hold it

• EDGQ Zero net fee: the 0.53% gross expense ratio is waived through March 1, 2027. Peer Nasdaq-100 income funds all charge, from GPIQ's 0.29% (net of a waiver through April 30, 2027) to QYLD's 0.60%.globalxetfs.com
• Weekly option rolls instead of monthly, with coverage that flexes as volatility and premiums shift. Stablemate QYLG writes on a fixed slice and rolls monthly.globalxetfs.comglobalxetfs.com 2
• Calls cover only part of the Nasdaq-100 book, so some exposure stays uncapped, and the fund seeks to pay distributions weekly from premiums plus dividends.globalxetfs.com

• QGRD Protection is in the mechanics, not the marketing: FLEX options on the Nasdaq-100 wrapped in a collar, pairing sold calls with a protective put leg aimed at blunting drawdowns.
• The collar is actively managed, so strikes and hedges can be adjusted as volatility shifts rather than locked to one fixed formula.
• Dual mandate, unusual for this group: it targets capital appreciation and capital preservation, with income as one tool rather than the headline number.

Worth knowing

• EDGQ The 13% figure is a target, not a floor. Premium income tracks volatility, and gains on the covered slice are capped at the strike.globalxetfs.com
• Absent renewal, the 0.53% gross fee applies after March 1, 2027, landing above JEPQ's 0.35% and GPIQ's 0.29% (net of a waiver through April 30, 2027).
• A 2026 launch still building scale: short record, lighter trading than the category's giants, so limit orders earn their keep.

• QGRD At 0.85% it sits above the typical fee in the Nasdaq-100 options-income group, where QQA charges 0.33% and JEPQ 0.35%.
• A 2025 launch that trades lightly, so the live record is short and spreads can run wider than at the cohort's largest names.
• Payouts follow an annual or semiannual schedule, so this is not a monthly-income vehicle.

Full EDGQ profile⁠

Full QGRD profile⁠