FTHI vs SIXH: Which Covered Call ETF Is Better?

FTHI and SIXH are both covered call ETFs tracking the same benchmark, but with different approaches. FTHI offers a 8.97% yield, while SIXH provides a 1.77% yield. Compare their scores, yields, and performance metrics to find the best fit for your portfolio.

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Compare covered call ETFs with the same benchmark side by side

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FTHI

First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF

S&P 500Inception: Jan 6, 2014

5.78

Overall Score

SIXH

6 Meridian Hedged Equity-Income ETF

S&P 500Inception: Oct 8, 2020

6.21

Overall Score

CriteriaFTHISIXH
Overall Score
5.78
6.21
Total Return (25%)
3.80
5.42
Downside Protection (25%)
5.38
10.00
Upside Participation (25%)
6.54
4.39
Consistency (15%)
9.93
5.95
Expense Ratio (5%)
1.88
2.75
Liquidity (5%)
5.27
4.63
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Key Metrics

MetricFTHISIXH
Expense Ratio0.750%0.780%
Inception DateJan 6, 2014Oct 8, 2020
IssuerFirst Trust6 Meridian
Distribution FrequencyMonthlyMonthly
Maturity Rating5/5 stars4/5 stars

Verdicts

FTHI

A 9.0% yield with a 69% overwrite, but the worst drawdown (-23.6%) was nearly identical to SPY's (-23.9%).

Investor Profile:

FTHI holds about 192 U.S.-listed equities of all sizes and writes covered calls on the S&P 500 Index. The overwrite averages 69% of NAV, with calls about 0.6% out of the money and 26 days to expiry on average. First Trust Advisors manages it and the fund pays monthly.

SIXH

Cut the worst drawdown to -10.1% (SPY -23.9%), but pays only 1.8% and captured 44% of S&P 500 upside.

Investor Profile:

SIXH is an actively managed Exchange Traded Concepts fund that provides exposure to U.S. equities, 52 positions, and sells call options against SPY. Its largest positions are SPY (5.1%) and Altria (5.0%). The hedged label and a 20% down capture indicate a protective component, but the fund page does not describe it [to confirm with 6 Meridian]. It pays monthly.

Full scores for these funds

See where these rank against every SPY fund

Both funds are scored on total return, downside protection, upside participation, distribution consistency, cost and liquidity, against the same benchmark and the same window.

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