Covered call ETFs show $4,632 annual income gap on $100K, but higher payouts don’t always mean better returns.

Investing $100,000 in four popular covered call ETFs reveals a $4,632 annual income difference, with NEOS IWMI paying the most but ranking lower in total returns. IWMI offers a 15.1% yield by selling out-of-the-money calls on the Russell 2000, balancing income with some upside. In contrast, QYLD, writing calls on the Nasdaq-100, yields less but posted the highest one-year return at 20%, driven by strong tech gains. This shows that higher income from covered calls can come at the cost of capital appreciation, making total return a crucial measure for investors.

As of Oct 21, 2026 06:41 WIB, QYLD trades at USD 18.31 on Pluang with a slight 1-day gain of 0.11%. The ETF holds a market cap of $8.56 billion and shows strong investor interest with 100% buy orders. This data highlights the active trading environment for covered call ETFs discussed in the article.