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ETF Comparison

AIHY vs NLR: Which Is the Better Pick in 2026?

A head-to-head comparison of Defiance AI Hyperscale Leaders ETF and VanEck Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF covering yield, cost, risk, and income potential.

Updated November 6, 2026

No track record yet. AIHY launched within the last six months. The forward distribution rate is left blank until a payout is published.

How these figures are calculated: methodology.

Price and total return

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Distribution Safety Score

An estimate of distribution reliability, not price or principal safety, a probability, or a guarantee. Score methodology.

AIHY

—

Not rated

No published distribution safety rating is available.

NLR

61/ 100

Generally safe

Limited data

Score snapshot as of . Method 1.11.

Side-by-side snapshot

Side-by-side snapshot. Each row is one metric; each column is one fund.
MetricAIHYNLR
Full nameDefiance AI Hyperscale Leaders ETFVanEck Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF
IssuerDefiance ETFsVanEck
Last Close$20.46 as of November 6, 2026$88.44 as of November 6, 2026
Distribution rate—3.58%
Trailing 12-month yield—3.58%
30-day SEC yield1.31%—
Distribution Safety Score™ —61
Safety-Adjusted Yield —2.18%
Expense ratio0.37%0.52%
AUM$16.5M$3.01B
Distribution frequencyAnnualAnnual
Underlying index—MVIS Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy Index
ObjectiveSeeks long-term capital appreciation by investing in the companies building and operating the compute backbone of artificial intelligence — spanning AI compute infrastructure, cloud platforms, data centers, semiconductors, and AI software. Holdings must derive at least 50% of revenues, assets, or spending from AI and demonstrate revenue growing faster than operating expenses.Seeks to replicate the price and yield performance of the MVIS Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy Index.
Asset classEquityEquity
Inception date07/20/202608/13/2007
Beta—1.54
Last dividend—$3.17
Ex-dividend date—12/22/2025

— Distribution rate, Safety-Adjusted Yield, last dividend, and ex-dividend date are not yet available because AIHY launched July 2026; these fields will populate after the first distribution.

Total returns

100% reinvested · ex-date convention. Period returns use this fixed assumption, independent of chart settings. YTD and 1Y are cumulative period returns; 3Y, 5Y, and 10Y are annualized. The shared Since-start window is annualized only when it covers at least one year.

AIHY has outpaced NLR over the year to date, posting a 1.66% total return against -31.80%. AIHY has been the steadier holding, though — annualized volatility of 28.8% against 40.4% for NLR. Figures are total returns: price change plus every distribution reinvested.

Total return and risk statistics by fund. Each row is one fund; each column is one period or statistic.
SymbolYTD cumulativeSince Jul 2026Volatility Sharpe Sortino Max drawdown
AIHY1.66%1.66%28.8%0.050.07-13.0%
NLR-31.80%-22.34%40.4%-2.18-2.85-32.2%

Total return with all distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date), split-adjusted, as of November 5, 2026. YTD and 1Y are cumulative period returns; 3Y, 5Y, and 10Y are annualized. The shared Since-start window is annualized only when it covers at least one year. “Since Jul 2026” measures every fund from July 21, 2026 — the start of shared available history — so all funds share one comparison window. Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily total returns over the shared window since Jul 2026. Sharpe and Sortino divide the annualized return in excess of the risk-free rate by, respectively, that volatility and the downside deviation (both over the shared window since Jul 2026) — higher is better. Max drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough total-return decline over the same window — shallower is better.

Distribution rate and SEC yield

MetricAIHYNLR
Forward distribution rate—3.58%
Trailing 12-month yield—3.58%
30-day SEC yield1.31%—

Total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is the Total returns section above. A 30-day SEC yield can sit far from the headline distribution rate; both numbers are the fund's own published fields.

Visual comparison

Key metrics

Projected income on $10K

Projections assume the current yield and share price remain constant. Actual results will vary.

Bottom lineWe won't call this one: AIHY launched July 2026, so there is not yet a track record to compare. Compare the strategy, cost and holdings in the sections above and treat any performance figures for the newer ETF as provisional.

Income calculator

See how much monthly income a hypothetical investment would generate in each ETF at current yields.

ETFs91
Total AUM$9.47B

ETFs and AUM reflect what Dividend Vision tracks — the issuer's full lineup may be larger.

Defiance ETFs is known for offering specialized and thematic investment strategies that cater to niche market segments and alternative income approaches. The issuer's lineup spans income-focused funds, leveraged strategies, combinations of leverage with income generation, and thematic products tied to emerging trends and sectors. Defiance emphasizes non-traditional and differentiated strategies rather than broad-based index exposure, appealing to investors seeking targeted exposure beyond conventional ETF offerings.

See our curated list of related YouTube videos on AIHY.

ETFs86
Total AUM$156B

ETFs and AUM reflect what Dividend Vision tracks — the issuer's full lineup may be larger.

VanEck is known for offering specialized and thematic ETFs across a broad range of asset classes, from traditional equities and fixed income to alternatives and digital assets. The firm's lineup encompasses income-focused funds, sector strategies, commodity exposure, municipal bonds, and innovative thematic products covering areas like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and emerging markets. VanEck serves both income-oriented and growth-focused investors with a diversified product suite that extends beyond conventional equity and bond offerings.

See our curated list of related YouTube videos on NLR.

Quick verdict

AIHY (Defiance AI Hyperscale Leaders ETF) and NLR (VanEck Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF) are both annual-pay ETFs, but they take different approaches.

NLR currently shows a 3.58% distribution yield. AIHY has not yet established a full distribution history, so a comparable yield figure is not available.

AIHY is cheaper with an expense ratio of 0.37% compared to 0.52%.

NLR has $3.01B in assets vs $16.5M for AIHY, but AIHY only launched July 2026 — AUM comparisons will become more meaningful as it builds a track record.

Top-holdings overlap

Positions that appear in every fund's top 10. Issuers disclose only the largest weights, so this captures the overlap of the concentrated end of each book — not the full portfolios.

— shared positions
AIHY top-10 holdings unavailable
NLR 0.0% of its top-10 weight

Top-10 holdings unavailable for AIHY — cannot compute overlap.

Holdings as-of dates unavailable · mode DIRECT (top 10)

Deep dive

Yield & income

On a $10,000 investment at current distribution rates, AIHY has no reported distribution yield yet, so a cash estimate is not available, while NLR would pay about $358.00 a year. Both pay annual distributions.

AIHY yield—
NLR yield3.58%

Cost & efficiency

Over 10 years on $10,000, AIHY would cost approximately $370 in fees vs $520 for NLR (simplified, not compounded). The $150.00 difference may be offset by yield or performance.

AIHY ER0.37%
NLR ER0.52%

Strategy & risk

AIHY is an ETF built around technology exposure, while NLR tracks MVIS Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy Index with a nuclear approach.

AIHY beta—
NLR beta1.54

Fund details

AIHY is managed by Defiance ETFs (launched 07/20/2026) with $16.5M in assets. NLR is managed by VanEck (launched 08/13/2007) with $3.01B in assets.

AIHY AUM$16.5M
NLR AUM$3.01B

Frequently asked questions

Which of AIHY or NLR pays more dividend income?

NLR currently reports a distribution yield, while AIHY has not yet established a full distribution history. A direct income comparison is not yet meaningful — check back once both funds have published several consecutive distributions.

What is the difference between AIHY and NLR?

AIHY (Defiance AI Hyperscale Leaders ETF) is an ETF built around technology exposure, while NLR (VanEck Uranium+Nuclear Energy ETF) tracks MVIS Global Uranium & Nuclear Energy Index with a nuclear approach. They are issued by Defiance ETFs and VanEck respectively.

Can I hold both AIHY and NLR?

Yes — nothing prevents holding both. Whether the combination actually diversifies depends on how much the underlying exposures overlap, which isn't fully measurable from the data on this page; review each security's holdings, sector, and strategy before treating them as complementary.

Which has lower fees, AIHY or NLR?

AIHY has an expense ratio of 0.37% while NLR charges 0.52%. Lower fees mean more of your investment returns stay in your pocket over time.

How much income does $10,000 in AIHY vs NLR generate?

At current distribution rates, AIHY has not established a distribution history yet, so a cash estimate is not available. $10,000 in NLR would pay about $358.00 a year.

Which has performed better historically, AIHY or NLR?

AIHY has outpaced NLR over the year to date, posting a 1.66% total return against -31.80%. AIHY has been the steadier holding, though — annualized volatility of 28.8% against 40.4% for NLR. Figures are total returns: price change plus every distribution reinvested. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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AIHY vs NLR — at a glance

Generated November 1, 2026.

Overview

AIHY and NLR are equity ETFs with opposing exposure angles: AIHY targets artificial intelligence infrastructure—the compute, cloud, and semiconductor companies powering AI systems—while NLR tracks uranium and nuclear energy producers. One is a nascent, thematically focused growth play; the other is a commodity-sensitive sector fund with a two-decade track record.

How they differ

The core distinction is strategy and asset base. AIHY invests in companies deriving at least 50% of revenue from AI infrastructure, emphasizing compute-stack players; NLR replicates a published index of uranium miners and nuclear operators with no AI overlap. AIHY is a 3 months-old fund with $16.5M in assets and levies a 0.37% expense ratio, while NLR has been around since 08/13/2007 and manages $3.01B, charging 0.52%—a 15-basis-point difference. NLR's 1.54 beta suggests equity-market sensitivity roughly 50% above the broader market, reflecting uranium and nuclear's commodity-price cyclicality and regulatory exposure.

Who each is best for

AIHY: Investors seeking concentrated exposure to artificial intelligence infrastructure and the semiconductor and cloud companies building AI systems, with a high tolerance for single-theme risk and a growth-over-income time horizon.

NLR: Investors who believe nuclear power will gain energy-policy or grid-reliability tailwinds and want diversified uranium and nuclear operator exposure, accepting commodity price swings in exchange for a measurable yield.

Key risks to know

  • Concentration and single-theme risk in AIHY. The fund focuses on a narrow slice of technology—AI infrastructure—with holdings that must meet a 50% revenue threshold. A slowdown in AI capital spending, a rise in semiconductor competition, or margin compression in data centers would hit the entire portfolio simultaneously.
  • Commodity price volatility in NLR. Uranium prices and nuclear energy margins are volatile and exposed to geopolitical supply shocks, uranium stockpile announcements, and shifts in energy policy. The 1.54 beta reflects this sensitivity; a broad market correction may amplify losses.
  • Regulatory and policy risk for NLR. Uranium miners and nuclear operators face changing government policy on energy transitions, waste disposal, and carbon credits. Policy shifts that favor renewables or restrict nuclear expansion can drag sector performance independent of market swings. Fund closure, limited trading volume, or wider bid-ask spreads are material concerns for investors needing exit liquidity.

Bottom line

If you want exposure to the infrastructure layer driving artificial intelligence adoption and can tolerate concentration risk in a new fund, AIHY offers a thematic angle; if you prefer an index-based allocation to nuclear energy with measurable yield and believe policy will support the sector, NLR's $3.01B in assets and three-decade history provide more ballast. Past performance does not predict future results.

AI-generated analysis for educational purposes only. Verify important details independently; past performance does not guarantee future results.

Learn the method

The metrics behind this comparison, explained in the Academy.

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These comparisons follow the Dividend Vision methodology.