XYLD vs PUTW: Which Covered Call ETF Is Better?

XYLD and PUTW are both covered call ETFs tracking the same benchmark, but with different approaches. XYLD offers a 10.41% yield, while PUTW provides a n/a yield. Compare their scores, yields, and performance metrics to find the best fit for your portfolio.

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XYLD

Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF

S&P 500Inception: Jun 24, 2013

5.79

Overall Score

PUTW

WisdomTree PutWrite Strategy Fund

S&P 500Inception: Feb 24, 2016

6.13

Overall Score

CriteriaXYLDPUTW
Overall Score
5.79
6.13
Total Return (25%)
3.79
3.71
Downside Protection (25%)
5.90
6.98
Upside Participation (25%)
6.45
5.96
Consistency (15%)
7.61
8.82
Expense Ratio (5%)
5.00
7.00
Liquidity (5%)
7.23
5.91
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Key Metrics

MetricXYLDPUTW
Expense Ratio0.600%0.440%
Inception DateJun 24, 2013Feb 24, 2016
IssuerGlobal XWisdomTree
Distribution FrequencyMonthlyMonthly
Maturity Rating5/5 stars5/5 stars

Verdicts

XYLD

Cut volatility to 9.0% (SPY 15.7%), but its worst drawdown (-23.4%) was only 0.5 points better than SPY's.

Investor Profile:

XYLD tracks the Cboe S&P 500 BuyWrite Index. It holds the S&P 500 stocks, 507 positions, and sells one-month at-the-money call options on the whole portfolio. The rules are mechanical and it pays monthly. PBP tracks the same index.

PUTW

Put-writing delivered 61% of S&P 500 upside and 63% of the downside, and the April 2025 index change limits how far its history can be trusted.

Investor Profile:

Since April 4, 2025 the fund trades under the ticker WTPI and tracks the Volos US Large Cap Target 2.5% PutWrite Index. It sells put options on SPY and holds U.S. Treasury bills as collateral, 96% T-bills and 4% a Treasury floating-rate fund as of October 2026. The index replaced the earlier CBOE PUT index approach, so earlier history reflects a different strategy. 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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