Monthly Covered Call Commentary: July 2026
Our covered call funds seek to offer alternate sources of income, with different risk/return characteristics. Here, we discuss recent developments.
Robert J. Scrudato
Get the latest news and updates from our team.
SEI Investments Distribution Co. (1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, PA, 19456) is the distributor for the Global X Funds.
Check the background of SIDCO and Global X's Registered Representatives on FINRA's BrokerCheck.
Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF
RYLG follows a buy-write strategy, buying the Global X Russell 2000 ETF and/or the stocks in the Russell 2000 Index and writing call options on approximately 50% of the portfolio's value in an effort to generate income through option premiums. The Fund seeks to pay distributions monthly.
QYLD holds the stocks of the Nasdaq-100® Index and writes call options on that same index, pursuing a "buy-write" strategy in an effort to provide income while capping potential upside participation in rising markets. The Fund seeks to pay distributions on a monthly schedule.
XYLD follows a buy-write strategy, buying stocks in the S&P 500 Index—or investments with similar economic characteristics—and writing corresponding call options on the same index in an effort to generate income through option premiums while capping equity upside potential. The Fund seeks to pay distributions monthly.
RYLD can complement traditional equity income allocations by adding a covered call overlay on U.S. small-cap equities as opposed to having an overlay on large- and/or mid-cap dividend payers.
The option-writing approach can provide a stream of monthly distributions while offering a potential measure of downside mitigation during market declines.
RYLD seeks to generate income through covered call writing, which historically produces higher yields in periods of volatility.1
RYLD has made monthly distributions 7 years running.
RYLD writes call options on the Russell 2000 Index, saving investors the time and potential expense of doing so individually.
1Covered call writing can limit the upside potential of the underlying security
The financial statements include the Fund's disclosures required by Items 7 through 11 of Form N-CSR, which includes the financial statements, financial highlights, and other important information when applicable.
The financial statements include the Fund's disclosures required by Items 7 through 11 of Form N-CSR, which includes the financial statements, financial highlights, and other important information when applicable.
Overall rating out of 100 Derivative Income funds, based on risk-adjusted returns as of Sep 30, 2026.
As of Oct 13, 2026
Net Assets (%) | Ticker | Name | SEDOL | Market Price ($) | Shares Held | Market Value ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.99% | RSSL | GLOBAL X RUSSELL 2000 ETF | BR3T756 | $108.28 | 12,133,324 | $1,313,823,016 |
| 0.00% | - | INHIBRX INC | BK1MBC3 | $0.65 | 15,798 | $10,269 |
| 0.00% | - | NOVARTIS AG - CVR |
Holdings are subject to change. "Cash" denotes U.S. dollars.
Oct 13, 2026
30-Day SEC Yield
0.60%
Trailing 12-Month Distribution (%)1
12.77%
Distribution Rate2
11.21%
Oct 13, 2026
Metric | 1 Year | 3 Year | 5 Year | Since Inception |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund NAV | +15.97% | +9.20% | +2.66% | +5.47% |
Market Price | +15.89% | +9.17% | +2.59% | +5.44% |
Index | +16.15% | +9.84% | +3.23% | +6.21% |
As of Oct 9, 2026
Russell 2000 Index price
$2,806.98
Option Positions | Notional Exposure | Strike | Upside Before Cap | Expiration Date | Calendar Days to Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Short Russell 2000 Call Option | -$1,318,999,902 | 2,855 | 1.71% | Oct 16, 2026 | 7 |
As of Oct 13, 2026
As of Oct 13, 2026
As of Oct 13, 2026
As of Oct 13, 2026
The Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF (RYLD) follows a “covered call” or “buy-write” strategy, in which the Fund purchases the Global X Russell 2000 ETF and/or the stocks in the Russell 2000 Index, and “writes” or “sells” corresponding call options on the Russell 2000 Index.
Distributions may contain return of capital.
The Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF (RYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe Russell 2000 BuyWrite Index.
The Index measures the performance of a hypothetical covered call strategy applied to the Russell 2000 Index—a position in the securities of a broadly diversified index of small U.S. companies paired with a succession of one-month call options sold on the Russell 2000 Index. The fund implements this strategy by purchasing the Global X Russell 2000 ETF and/or the stocks in the Russell 2000 Index and writing corresponding call options on the Russell 2000 Index. The fund seeks to make monthly distributions.
Highlights
As of Oct 13, 2026
As of Oct 13, 2026
| - |
| $0.39 |
| 26,043 |
| $10,157 |
| 0.00% | 2324462D | CARTESIAN THERAPEUTICS INC | BM9HFX3 | $0.13 | 1 | $0 |
| 0.00% | 2200963D | OMNIAB INC - 12.5 EARNOUT | BP0VHM8 | $0.00 | 2,421 | $0 |
| 0.00% | 2200964D | OMNIAB INC - 15.00 EARNOUT | BP0VHL7 | $0.00 | 2,421 | $0 |
| - | RAIN | RAIN ONCOLOGY INC | 2L2V7Y9 | - | 1 | - |
| -0.06% | - | RUT US 10/16/26 C2855 | - | $152.50 | -4,699 | -$716,598 |
| 0.08% | - | CASH | - | $1.00 | 1,098,919 | $1,098,919 |
| 0.00% | - | CANADIAN DOLLAR | - | $0.70 | 7,088 | $4,987 |
What is Premium/Discount Chart?
The Premium/Discount chart demonstrates the difference between the daily market price of shares of the Fund and the Fund's net asset value (NAV). The vertical axis of the chart shows the premium or discount of the daily market price as a percentage of the NAV. The horizontal axis shows each trading day in the time period, and each data point in the chart represents the Premium/Discount on that day. The data presented in the chart and table above represent past performance and cannot be used to predict future results.
How can the Fund trade at a premium/discount to its NAV?
The primary explanation is that timing discrepancies can arise between the NAV and the trading price of the Fund. Since shares of the Fund trade on the open market, prices are affected by the constant flow of information received by investors, corporations and financial institutions. Depending on how this changing information affects investor sentiment, shares of the Fund may deviate slightly from the value of the Fund's underlying assets. The NAV of the Fund is only calculated once a day (normally at 4:00 p.m. eastern time). As a result, shareholders may pay more than NAV when they buy Fund shares and receive less than NAV when they sell those shares, because shares are purchased and sold at current market prices. However, due to the creation and redemption process that is unique to ETFs, market makers are able to minimize these deviations from NAV by taking advantage of arbitrage opportunities.
What causes these time discrepancies?
Close of Trading Times. Although both the NAV and the daily market price of the Fund are generally calculated based on prices at the closing time of the exchange (generally 4:00 p.m. eastern time), slight differences in this timing may cause discrepancies.
Time of Last Trade. Trading of Global X funds generally takes place during normal trading hours (9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. eastern time). However, it is important to note that the last trade - from which the closing price is determined - may not occur at exactly 4:00 p.m. eastern time. Therefore, changing market sentiment during the time difference may cause the NAV to deviate from the closing price.
International Holdings. The premiums and discounts for funds with significant holdings in international markets may be less accurate due to the different closing times of various international markets. Because the Funds trade during U.S. market hours while the underlying securities may not, the time lapse between the markets can result in differences between the NAV and the trading price.
Distribution Frequency
Monthly
Record Date | Payable Date | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 30, 2026 | Dec 30, 2026 | Jan 5, 2027 | - |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Dec 21, 2026 | Dec 24, 2026 | - |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Nov 23, 2026 | Nov 27, 2026 | - |
| Oct 19, 2026 | Oct 19, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 | - |
| Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 21, 2026 | Sep 24, 2026 | $0.15 |
| Aug 24, 2026 | Aug 24, 2026 | Aug 27, 2026 | $0.17 |
| Jul 20, 2026 | Jul 20, 2026 | Jul 23, 2026 | $0.16 |
| Jun 22, 2026 | Jun 22, 2026 | Jun 25, 2026 | $0.16 |
| May 18, 2026 | May 18, 2026 | May 21, 2026 | $0.16 |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Apr 20, 2026 | Apr 23, 2026 | $0.16 |
| Mar 23, 2026 | Mar 23, 2026 | Mar 26, 2026 | $0.15 |
| Feb 23, 2026 | Feb 23, 2026 | Feb 26, 2026 | $0.16 |
| Jan 20, 2026 | Jan 20, 2026 | Jan 23, 2026 | $0.16 |
The distribution as a percentage an investor would have received if they had held the fund over the last twelve months, assuming the most recent NAV. The Trailing 12-Month Distribution (%) is calculated by summing any income, capital gains and return of capital distributions over the past twelve months and dividing by the sum of the most recent NAV and any capital gain distributions made over the same period. The distribution is estimated to include a return of capital. For information on the breakdown of the distributions, please see the 19a Notice. These do not imply rates for any future distributions.
The annual rate an investor would receive if the most recent fund distribution remained the same going forward. The rate represents a single distribution from the fund and does not represent total return of the fund. The distribution rate is calculated by annualizing the most recent distribution and dividing by the most recent fund NAV. The distribution is estimated to include a return of capital. For information on the breakdown of the distributions, please see the 19a Notice. These do not imply rates for any future distributions.
The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. A portion of the distribution is estimated to include a return of capital. For information on the breakdown of the distributions, please see the Tax Documents. These do not imply rates for any future distributions.