Security Comparison

DIPS vs NVDA: Which Is the Better Pick in 2026?

A head-to-head comparison of YieldMax Short NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF and NVIDIA Corporation covering yield, cost, risk, and income potential.

Updated October 16, 2026

How these figures are calculated: methodology.

Best for

DIPSInvestors who want to maximize current income — roughly 32.45%, generated by selling options premium.
NVDAInvestors who want direct ownership of the underlying business, with no fund wrapper or management fee.

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Visual comparison

Key metrics

Projected income on $10K

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

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.

DIPS has lagged NVDA over the trailing twelve months, posting a -12.56% total return against 18.06%. Measured from Jul 2024 — the start of shared available history — NVDA has compounded at 32.73% a year versus -29.21% for DIPS. 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.
Symbol	YTD cumulative	1Y cumulative	Since Jul 2024	Volatility	Sharpe	Sortino	Max drawdown
DIPS	-12.06%	-12.56%	-29.21%	30.9%	-0.57	-0.75	-28.0%
NVDA	15.08%	18.06%	32.73%	37.2%	0.34	0.49	-20.2%

Total return with all distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date), split-adjusted, as of October 16, 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 2024” measures every fund from July 24, 2024 — 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 past year. 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 past year) — higher is better. Max drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough total-return decline over the same window — shallower is better.

Distribution rate, SEC yield and return of capital

Metric	DIPS	NVDA
Forward distribution rate	32.45%	0.24%
Trailing 12-month yield	62.35%	0.24%
30-day SEC yield	3.38%	—
Return of capital	61.37%	—

Total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is the Total returns section above. Return of capital is the share of a recent distribution that was not income. A 30-day SEC yield can sit far from the headline distribution rate; both numbers are the fund's own published fields.

Side-by-side snapshot

Side-by-side snapshot. Each row is one metric; each column is one fund.
Metric	DIPS	NVDA
Full name	YieldMax Short NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF	NVIDIA Corporation
Issuer	YieldMax	—
Last Close	$32.41 as of October 16, 2026	$214.13 as of October 16, 2026
Distribution rate	32.45%	0.24%
Trailing 12-month yield	62.35%	0.24%
30-day SEC yield	3.38%	—
Distribution Safety Score™	25	95
Safety-Adjusted Yield	8.11%	0.23%
Expense ratio	1.05%	—
AUM	$11.4M	—
Distribution frequency	Weekly	Quarterly
Underlying index	Actively managed (no tracked index recorded)	—
Objective	Actively managed fund that seeks current income while providing indirect inverse exposure to the share price of NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA), participating in only a portion of potential gains.	Designs and manufactures graphics processing units (GPUs) and system-on-chip units for gaming, professional visualization, data centers, and automotive markets. A leader in AI infrastructure and accelerated computing.
Asset class	Equity	Equity
Inception date	07/23/2024	N/A
Beta	-1.3418	2.216
Last dividend	$0.2023 payable today	$0.25
Ex-dividend date	10/15/2026	09/10/2026

Bottom lineChoose DIPS if you want to maximize current income — roughly 32.45%, generated by selling options premium. Choose NVDA if you want direct ownership of the underlying business, with no fund wrapper or management fee. There's no free lunch: DIPS's payout comes from selling options, which caps upside and can erode the share price over time, while NVDA keeps full price exposure.

How the risk works

Read this before the income numbers below: the strategy mechanics on this page shape what those payouts can cost you.

Capped upside and premium dependence. DIPS generates income by selling options, which trades away part of a strong rally in exchange for premium. Distributions can include return of capital, and a payout the underlying assets cannot sustain shows up as NAV erosion over time — the big yield number is not free.

Learn the mechanics: Return of capital, explained · NAV erosion, explained

Model this comparison:

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Income calculator

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

YieldMax

ETFs62

Total AUM$10.0B

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

YieldMax is known for specializing in options-based and income-focused ETFs that emphasize yield generation through covered call strategies and other income-producing methodologies. The firm operates a diverse lineup of 63 funds organized across multiple families including covered call strategies, 0DTE (zero days to expiration) options, double distribution approaches, and various target-date and performance-based portfolios designed to generate regular distributions. Notable offerings span popular underlying assets like major technology stocks and broad market indices, with a particular emphasis on providing enhanced income solutions for investors seeking regular cash flows through options strategies and other tactical approaches.

See our curated list of related YouTube videos on DIPS.

See all ETFs from YieldMax

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Quick verdict

DIPS (YieldMax Short NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF) is an ETF, while NVDA (NVIDIA Corporation) is a stock — their trading structures differ.

DIPS offers the higher yield at 32.45% vs 0.24% for NVDA. A higher yield means more current income per dollar invested, though it may come with different risk characteristics.

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Deep dive

Yield & income

On a $10,000 investment, DIPS would generate roughly $62.40 cash per distribution, while NVDA would produce $6.00 cash per distribution, at current distribution rates.

DIPS yield32.45%

NVDA yield0.24%

Cash diff on $10K$56.40

Cost & efficiency

DIPS charges a 1.05% expense ratio — roughly $1,050 over 10 years on $10,000 (simplified, not compounded). NVDA is a stock, not a fund, so it charges no expense ratio.

DIPS ER1.05%

Strategy & risk

DIPS is actively managed around NVIDIA (NVDA) exposure with a covered call approach, while NVDA is a stock built around semiconductors exposure. Beta is -1.3418 for DIPS and 2.216 for NVDA, making DIPS the less volatile of the two by this measure.

DIPS beta-1.3418

NVDA beta2.216

Security details

DIPS is managed by YieldMax (launched 07/23/2024) with $11.4M in assets. NVDA (NVIDIA Corporation) is a stock.

DIPS AUM$11.4M

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Frequently asked questions

What is the current distribution rate for DIPS and NVDA?

DIPS currently distributes 32.45% and NVDA 0.24%, based on fund data updated October 2026. Distribution rate moves with both the payout and the share price, so check the as-of date before relying on either figure.

Is DIPS or NVDA better for dividend income?

It depends on your goals. DIPS currently offers the higher distribution yield, which means more income per dollar invested. However, a lower-yield fund may offer better total return or lower volatility. Consider your time horizon and risk tolerance.

What is the difference between DIPS and NVDA?

DIPS (YieldMax Short NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF) is actively managed around NVIDIA (NVDA) exposure with a covered call approach, while NVDA (NVIDIA Corporation) is a stock built around semiconductors exposure. They are issued by YieldMax and — respectively.

Can I hold both DIPS and NVDA?

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.

Is DIPS or NVDA safer?

By Dividend Vision's Distribution Safety Score — a rules-based 0–100 estimate of how resilient a distribution looks, where higher is safer — NVDA scores 95, DIPS scores 25, so NVDA's payout currently looks the more resilient of the two. DIPS has also shown lower price volatility (beta -1.34 vs 2.22 for NVDA). No score makes an investment risk-free — treat this as a screening signal, not a guarantee, and the leverage, options-income, or crypto caveats flagged on this page apply regardless of score.

Which has lower fees, DIPS or NVDA?

DIPS charges a 1.05% expense ratio. NVDA is a stock, not a fund, so it has no expense ratio — owning it directly costs nothing in ongoing fund fees.

How much income does $10,000 in DIPS vs NVDA generate?

At current rates, $10,000 in DIPS would generate roughly $62.40 cash per distribution ($3,245.00 annually). The same in NVDA would produce about $6.00 cash per distribution ($24.00 annually).

Which has performed better historically, DIPS or NVDA?

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DIPS vs NVDA — at a glance

Generated October 17, 2026.

NVDA is the underlying semiconductor company—a dominant maker of GPUs and AI infrastructure that pays a modest quarterly dividend. The two securities are structurally opposite: one is a leveraged income overlay on the other, with fundamentally different risk-return profiles and investor use cases.

How they differ

The core difference is structure and yield mechanism. DIPS carries a -1.3418 beta, meaning it moves inversely to NVDA's 2.216 beta—so DIPS gains when NVDA falls and caps gains when NVDA rises. The funds also differ sharply in time horizon: DIPS launched 2 years ago, whereas NVDA has traded since 01/22/1999.

Who each is best for

DIPS: Fits investors seeking high current income from NVIDIA exposure who are willing to cap upside participation, accept inverse price risk, and tolerate weekly distributions and the complexity of options-based mechanics.

NVDA: Fits growth and value-oriented investors seeking direct ownership of a semiconductor and AI infrastructure leader, with minimal reliance on distributions and full participation in price appreciation.

Key risks to know

NAV erosion at extreme yields: DIPS's 32.45% distribution rate relies on selling call options and holding short exposure; if volatility declines or NVIDIA's price rises significantly, the fund may struggle to sustain payouts without eroding net asset value. This structural headwind can substantially lag a buy-and-hold NVDA position over multi-year periods. A shrinking asset base can accelerate costs and limit trading efficiency.

Single-name concentration: Both securities carry full concentration in NVIDIA. DIPS's derivative overlay compounds this by betting against the underlying company, creating a mismatch if NVIDIA fundamentals improve.

Bottom line

If you want direct exposure to NVIDIA's growth potential and modest income, NVDA is straightforward ownership; if you prioritize high current income and are comfortable capping gains and accepting inverse price risk, DIPS's options-based strategy offers a different payoff. Both carry single-name risk and require monitoring, and past performance doesn't 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.