Do our high-yield ETFs beat the S&P 500?
I recently came across a video comparing covered-call ETFs against the S&P 500, so I decided to run my own comparison using Canadian-listed income funds.
📊 Total Return: Oct 26, 2023 – Oct 8, 2026
Distributions reinvested, CAD
🥇 FTN: +292.8%
🥈 HCAL: +223.6%
🥉 GLCC: +193.3%
Other strong performers:
📈 BK: +185.1%
📈 BANK: +168.8%
📈 HTAE: +148.3%
📈 TXF: +134.8%
📈 HDIV: +123.4%
📈 HTA: +115.9%
📈 HYLD: +108.3%
For comparison:
🇨🇦 VFV (S&P 500 in CAD): +99.0%
🇺🇸 SPY (USD): +94.52%
My biggest takeaway: Several Canadian income funds significantly outperformed the S&P 500 over this period, even with their income-focused strategies.
I'm not saying high-income funds always outperform. I'm saying we need to look at total return, not just dividend yield or assumptions about covered calls.
Would you choose these Canadian income funds over the S&P 500?
