MSTY vs YMAX: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
MSTY and YMAX are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. MSTY is YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF, while YMAX is YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs. YMAX is broader by holdings count, with 30 positions versus 24 for MSTY. MSTY has the lower expense ratio. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has YMAX ahead on AIQ Score, 42 versus 33.
| Metric | MSTY | YMAX |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 1.03% | 1.33% |
| Holdings | 24 | 30 |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 141.1% | 61.45% |
| Average volume | 1,967,123 | 1,280,024 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -75.4% | -40.8% |
| YTD return | -51.4% | -26.5% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 71.1% | 25.9% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -81.3% | -42.7% |
| Beta | 2.81 | 1.62 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.70 | -2.03 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.98 | -3.01 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 33/100 | 42/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 1/10 | 2/10 |
| Momentum | 29/100 | 35/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 0/100 | 60/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF vs YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs
YMAX leads
YMAX leads by 9 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience and Momentum, and the lead has widened from 4 points over 30 sessions.
Stable: 3 of 3 evidence groups support YMAX, and its lead is widening.
YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF
YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors YMAX over MSTY, 42 versus 33 as of Oct 21, 2026. YMAX's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience and momentum, while MSTY holds the stronger quality profile. YMAX also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 3 covered evidence groups favor YMAX today, and the comparison is rated Stable on stability. YMAX lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 4 to 9 points over 30 sessions.
Compare YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF and YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
MSTY vs YMAX: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | MSTY | YMAX | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 1.03% | 1.33% | MSTY |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 24 | 30 | YMAX |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 141.1% | 61.45% | MSTY |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 1 year | -81.3% | -42.7% | YMAX |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 71.1% | 25.9% | YMAX |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare MSTY and YMAX against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience0 vs 60YMAX +60
- Momentum29 vs 35YMAX +6
- Quality54 vs 49MSTY +5
3 of 3 evidence groups favor YMAX. YMAX’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience and momentum; MSTY keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +5
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +6
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
YMAX's lead was unchanged in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — MSTY and YMAX both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
YMAX (YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs): the stronger current systematic profile, led by risk resilience and momentum.
MSTY (YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF): the counter-case, on quality — but at materially higher volatility, 51.7% against 23.7%.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | MSTY | YMAX | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 1.03% | 1.33% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 24 | 30 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 1,967,123 | 1,280,024 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 71.1% | 25.9% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -81.3% | -42.7% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.70 | -2.03 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 2.81 | 1.62 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
MSTY vs YMAX: five-year payout growth
MSTY began paying distributions in 2024, so it has no 2020-2025 growth rate to compare. YMAX began paying distributions in 2024, so it has no 2020-2025 growth rate to compare.
| Dividend metric | MSTY | YMAX |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 annual payout | $87.205 | $7.674 |
| Peer rank | not ranked | not ranked |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 3 covered evidence groups favor YMAX. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | YMAX | 33 vs 42 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | Not covered | Not covered |
| Technicals | YMAX | Price vs 50-day 1.5% vs -2.1%; vs 200-day -27.6% vs -10.6% |
| Risk Resilience | YMAX | Risk Resilience 0 vs 60 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of MSTY and YMAX and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion rests on a wide gap and broad agreement. It is unlikely to turn on a single session.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 9 points.
- 3 of 3 covered evidence groups point the same way. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on YMAX.
How the comparison changed
45 daily snapshots · Sep 6 – Oct 20YMAX lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 4 to 9 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- YMAX +9
- 33 vs 42
- 7 sessions ago
- YMAX +3
- 38 vs 41
- 30 sessions ago
- YMAX +4
- 44 vs 48
- 90 sessions ago
- Not covered
The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Oct 2 when YMAX moved ahead of MSTY.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
0 bullish / 3 bearish / 2 neutral
Only MSTY
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode — neutral, volatility, short horizon (6.22%)
0 bullish / 4 bearish
Only YMAX
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (0.4%)
Both carry 3 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +6.04%, AIQ +1 points).
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +1.23%, AIQ +1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1MSTY closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 60 points behind, the largest single contributor to YMAX's edge.
- 2MSTY's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3YMAX starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
YMAX leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | MSTY | YMAX |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -7.2% | -3.5% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -18.6% | -7.6% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 8.1% | -2.7% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -43.5% | -13.4% |
| Year to date | -51.4% | -26.5% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -75.4% | -40.8% |
Technicals
YMAX has the stronger structure| Metric | MSTY | YMAX |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 36.5 | 41.7 |
| ADX (14) | 21.2 | 15.5 |
| Price vs 50-day | 1.5% | -2.1% |
| Price vs 200-day | -27.6% | -10.6% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 51.7% | 23.7% |
Risk
YMAX is the more resilient| Metric | MSTY | YMAX |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 2.81 | 1.62 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.7 | -2.03 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.98 | -3.01 |
| Max drawdown | -81.3% | -42.7% |
| Current drawdown | -76.7% | -41.8% |
| Annualized volatility | 71.1% | 25.9% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -6.6% | -3% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
Which ETF is more diversified, MSTY or YMAX?
YMAX holds more positions: 30 versus 24 for MSTY.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
MSTY has the lower expense ratio, 1.03% a year against 1.33% for YMAX.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
MSTY, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 141.1% against 61.45% for YMAX.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
MSTY has been more volatile over the past year, at 71.1% annualized against 25.9% for YMAX.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
YMAX fell less from peak to trough over the past year: -42.7% against -81.3% for MSTY.
Compare MSTY and YMAX with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.