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MLPD vs XLUI

Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure Covered Call ETF

MLPDCNYSE Arca

State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF

XLUIBNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

XLUI −0.25pt a year

MLPD0.60%XLUI0.35%

Avg volume · 30D

XLUI 4.5×the volume

MLPD12.5KXLUI56.2K

MLPD vs XLUI Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+16.3%MLPD+4.7%XLUI

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. MLPD +16.3%. XLUI +4.7%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%10%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
MLPD 0.60%
XLUI 0.35%, better
Fund size
MLPD $26M
XLUI $67M
1Y total return
MLPD +16.3%, better
XLUI +4.7%
Yield (12M)
MLPD 13.82%
XLUI 15.28%, better
Holdings
MLPD 2
XLUI 3
Avg volume (30D)
MLPD 12.5K sh
XLUI 56.2K sh, better
NAV per share
MLPD $24.95
XLUI $22.92
52W range

ETF.net Grade

MLPD: Cost 45, Risk 93, Mission 50, Tradability 32, Holdings 57, Durability 64. XLUI: Cost 76, Risk 41, Mission 93, Tradability 57, Holdings 49, Durability 72.
Pillar letters and Scores for MLPD, XLUI, with each pillar’s weight
PillarMLPDXLUI
Cost30% weightC45A76Higher
Mission25% weightC50A93Higher
Risk15% weightA93HigherC41
Tradability15% weightD32B57Higher
Holdings10% weightB57HigherC49
Durability5% weightB64A72Higher

Rank among Sector Option Income funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. MLPD and XLUI are both graded against the same 22 Sector Option Income funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Sector Option Income⁠

Category · 22 funds
See all 22 ›

XLUI ranks 4th and MLPD 12th of 22 funds in the Sector Option Income Category.

  1. Rank 1AXLSIState Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETFScore 74
  2. Rank 2AXLIIState Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETFScore 71
  3. Rank 2AXLVIState Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETFScore 71
  4. Rank 4BXLUIState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETFScore 69
  5. Rank 5BXLFIState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETFScore 67
  6. Rank 11BIYRINEOS Real Estate High Income ETFScore 58
  7. Rank 12CMLPDGlobal X MLP & Energy Infrastructure Covered Call ETFScore 53
  8. Rank 13CHAKYAmplify HACK Cybersecurity Covered Call ETFScore 43

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

MLPDCGlobal X MLP & Energy Infrastructure Covered Call ETF

XLUIBState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF

In short

MLPD Pipelines already pay. MLPD holds Global X's midstream energy basket and sells at-the-money calls against it, trading most of the upside for option premium, distributed monthly.

XLUI Utilities run on regulated cash flows and steady dividends, the market's slow lane. XLUI parks there and sells calls against it, turning quiet into monthly income. It arrived in 2025 as part of the first suite to bolt a premium-income overlay onto sector SPDRs.

Stated mandate

MLPD The fund seeks to track the Cboe MLPX ATM BuyWrite Index before fees and expenses and implements the strategy by holding MLPX while selling corresponding call options on it.

XLUI The fund is an actively managed equity strategy seeking current income and long-term capital growth by investing in the State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF and selling call options on that ETF.

Why people hold it

  • MLPD Most option-overlay funds in this group write calls on broad sector SPDRs. MLPD points the same machinery at midstream energy infrastructure, a corner few covered call funds touch.
  • An index sets the trade: hold the midstream basket, sell matching at-the-money calls, repeat. Rules do the strike-picking, not a manager's timing.
  • Distributions arrive monthly, and the fund sits in the upper half of its sector-overlay peer group.
  • XLUI Simple plumbing: it owns State Street's utilities sector ETF and writes calls on that same fund. No stock picking, no basket drift, the sector exposure the label implies.ssga.com
  • 0.35% a year sits right at the median for its sector call-writing peers, and the cash comes monthly rather than quarterly.
  • One of the strongest builds in its sector-overlay group, with health care sibling XLVI, and the strategy it runs matches the one on the tin.
  • Eleven sector versions launched together, all on the same wrapper and the same 0.35% fee, so switching the sector tilt does not mean switching strategy.nasdaq.com

Worth knowing

  • MLPD 0.60% a year against a 0.35% median for sector-overlay peers like XLEI and XLUI. The niche costs extra.
  • At-the-money calls sell off nearly all of any rally in the underlying basket. The income is funded by handing over price appreciation.
  • A small, thinly traded fund launched in 2024, so bid-ask spreads run wider than the big sector overlays and the history is short.
  • XLUI Written calls trade away part of a rally. When utilities run hard, the premium collected is what you get instead of the full move.ssga.com
  • Launched in 2025 and still a small fund that trades thinly, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than on the underlying sector ETF.
  • One sector, one underlying holding. Results track utilities, and the monthly payout moves with option premiums and dividends rather than a fixed rate.ssga.com

Full MLPD profile⁠

Full XLUI profile⁠

MLPD vs XLUI Holdings

As of
How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

MLPD vs XLUI Cost

Overpaying MLPD vs XLUI

$4,691

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • MLPD 0.60%

    $11,817

  • XLUI 0.35%

    $7,126

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • MLPD 0.60%
  • XLUI 0.35%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530MLPD $11,817XLUI $7,126

Year by year

YearMLPDXLUIOverpaying
10$1,076$634$442
20$4,116$2,454$1,662
30$11,817$7,126$4,691

Expense ratio

  • 0.60%MLPD
  • 0.35%XLUI, cheaper
  • Middle half of Sector Option Income funds
  • Median 0.47%

XLUI cheapest of 22 funds

MLPD 12th cheapest of 22 funds

MLPD vs XLUI Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
MLPD 13.82%
XLUI 15.28%, better
Payout (12M)
MLPD $3.45
XLUI $3.51
Last payment
MLPD $0.25
XLUI $0.42
Ex-dividend
MLPD Oct 19, 2026
XLUI Oct 1, 2026
Paid on
MLPD Oct 22, 2026
XLUI Oct 5, 2026
Frequency
MLPD Monthly
XLUI Monthly

Distribution history

Per share, 2024 to 2026, same scale for both

MLPDMonthly · 31 paymentsAll MLPD payments⁠
One bar per payment. 31 payments from 2024 to 2026 YTD. May 20, 2024 $0.18; Jun 24, 2024 $0.15; Jul 22, 2024 $0.17; Aug 19, 2024 $0.25; Sep 23, 2024 $0.23; Oct 21, 2024 $0.20; Nov 18, 2024 $0.26; Dec 30, 2024 $0.26; Jan 21, 2025 $0.23; Feb 24, 2025 $0.25; Mar 24, 2025 $0.25; Apr 21, 2025 $0.24; May 19, 2025 $0.25; Jun 23, 2025 $0.25; Jul 21, 2025 $0.22; Aug 18, 2025 $0.23; Sep 22, 2025 $0.26; Oct 20, 2025 $0.22; Nov 24, 2025 $0.22; Dec 22, 2025 $0.16; Dec 30, 2025 $0.58; Jan 20, 2026 $0.25; Feb 23, 2026 $0.26; Mar 23, 2026 $0.26; Apr 20, 2026 $0.20; May 18, 2026 $0.26; Jun 22, 2026 $0.25; Jul 20, 2026 $0.25; Aug 24, 2026 $0.25; Sep 21, 2026 $0.25; Oct 19, 2026 $0.25. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502026YTD
XLUIMonthly · 14 paymentsAll XLUI payments⁠
One bar per payment. 14 payments from 2024 to 2026 YTD. Sep 2, 2025 $0.32; Oct 1, 2025 $0.32; Nov 3, 2025 $0.27; Dec 1, 2025 $0.20; Dec 29, 2025 $0.59; Feb 2, 2026 $0.15; Mar 2, 2026 $0.23; Apr 1, 2026 $0.42; May 1, 2026 $0.28; Jun 1, 2026 $0.27; Jul 1, 2026 $0.34; Aug 3, 2026 $0.14; Sep 1, 2026 $0.22; Oct 1, 2026 $0.42. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502026YTD

MLPD vs XLUI Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
MLPD 7.9%since Jun 2024XLUI 12.8%since Aug 2025
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
MLPD 1.07since Jun 2024XLUI 0.20since Aug 2025
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
MLPD −12.9%since May 2024XLUI −12.3%since Jul 2025
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
MLPD 0.04XLUI 0.002

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