Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF
Best for investors who want the highest possible monthly income from the S&P 500 and accept that the share price will barely grow.
XYLD owns the stocks of the S&P 500 and sells one-month, at-the-money call options on the index against the whole portfolio every month. It is the S&P 500 version of QYLD: the option premium is paid out monthly as a roughly 12% distribution yield, and in exchange the fund gives up almost all of the index's upside. Because the S&P 500 is less volatile than the Nasdaq-100, XYLD's premiums, and therefore its payouts, tend to be a little lower and steadier than QYLD's.
Each month XYLD writes call options on the S&P 500 with a strike near the current index level. The buyer pays a premium, typically 1–2% of the portfolio, and XYLD passes it through as that month's distribution. The dividends of the underlying stocks (around 1–1.5% a year) add only a small part of the total.
The trade-off: if the S&P 500 rises during the month, the gains above the strike go to the option buyer, not to XYLD. If the index falls, XYLD takes nearly the full loss, softened only by the premium. Over full market cycles the share price tends to drift sideways or down while the distributions continue, so XYLD usually trails the plain S&P 500 on total return in rising markets.
Where it fits: an income sleeve for retirees who spend the distributions, ideally next to growth holdings. It is a poor choice for reinvesting and compounding. A plain S&P 500 fund or a dividend-growth ETF has historically done better for that.
| Issuer | Global X ETFs |
| Strategy | Holds the S&P 500 and writes monthly at-the-money S&P 500 index call options |
| Index | Cboe S&P 500 BuyWrite Index |
| Expense ratio | 0.60% ($60 a year per $10,000) |
| Distribution yield | ~12% (paid monthly) |
| Upside | Largely capped: gains above the strike are sold away |
| Inception | 2013 |
Yield and assets are approximate as of our last review (September 2026). Confirm current figures on the Global X fund page before investing.
XYLD holds all ~500 stocks of the S&P 500 at roughly index weights, so its largest positions match the index's mega-caps:
Yes. XYLD pays every month, funded mostly by the premium from selling S&P 500 call options rather than by company dividends.
Both use the same strategy: they sell at-the-money calls on 100% of the portfolio. XYLD does it on the S&P 500 and QYLD on the Nasdaq-100. QYLD usually pays a slightly higher yield because the Nasdaq-100 is more volatile, but it is also more concentrated in tech. Both charge 0.60%.
Index options are Section 1256 contracts, so option gains are taxed 60% long-term and 40% short-term. Some distributions have been classified as return of capital, which defers tax by lowering your cost basis. The mix changes every year. Check the fund's 19a-1 notices and your 1099, and consider holding it in an IRA.
It depends on the job. XYLD is built to maximise current income, not total return. It works for spending income in retirement. It tends to lag the S&P 500 in bull markets and still falls in bear markets. See our monthly dividend ETF list for lower-yield options that keep more upside.