Dividend Vision Lists
Potential Yield-Trap ETFs
A risk screen — not a buy list. These high-yield ETFs pair an 8%+ distribution with a low Distribution Safety Score and a deteriorating signal (a falling 1-year price or a shrinking payout). The table shows exactly which rule flagged each fund.
Updated August 2026 · 50 funds
DV Scorecard
Our proprietary snapshot of this list — averages and standouts, computed from the funds below. Not investment advice.
A very high yield is a question, not a gift. When a fund pays 8%, 15%, or 30% and its price is falling while the payout shrinks, the distribution is often being funded by return of capital — the market's way of pricing in trouble. This page is a deliberate risk screen that surfaces those funds, so you can recognize the pattern.
This is not a list to avoid at all costs, nor a prediction that any fund will cut — some high-yield strategies are designed to trade NAV for income. It's a caution list: high yield, low Distribution Safety Score, and a real deterioration signal, all at once. The final column names the exact rule that flagged each fund.
How this screen works
A fund appears only when a high yield, a weak Safety Score, AND a deterioration signal all line up.
- Yield: distribution rate of 8% or more.
- Safety: a Distribution Safety Score below 40 (the "elevated" or "high" risk bands).
- Deterioration: AND at least one of — a negative 1-year price change, or a shrinking trailing distribution.
- Rank: riskiest (lowest Safety Score) first. The "Why it's flagged" column lists the specific rules each fund triggered.
Potential Yield-Trap ETFs
Ranked live from our data pipeline on every build — click any column header to re-sort, or open a ticker for the full analysis. We never hard-code the figures.
| Ticker | Fund | 1-Yr Price | Yield | Distribution Safety Score™ ⓘ | Div growth (1y) | AUM | Why it's flagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPI | Grayscale Bitcoin Premium Income ETF | -45.1% | 11.31% | 0 | -84.6% | $2M | very low safety · price down 45% · payout shrinking |
| BTCC | Grayscale Bitcoin Covered Call ETF | -40.0% | 47.42% | 0 | -90.3% | $15M | very low safety · price down 40% · payout shrinking |
| COIW | Roundhill COIN WeeklyPay ETF | -62.7% | 86.16% | 0 | -107.7% | $32M | very low safety · price down 63% · payout shrinking |
| CONY | YieldMax COIN Option Income Strategy ETF | -47.5% | 66.09% | 0 | -95.8% | $329M | very low safety · price down 48% · payout shrinking |
| COYY | GraniteShares YieldBOOST COIN ETF | -56.2% | 63.86% | 0 | -116.7% | $18M | very low safety · price down 56% · payout shrinking |
| CRCO | YieldMax CRCL Option Income Strategy ETF | -39.2% | 87.26% | 0 | -101.3% | $19M | very low safety · price down 39% · payout shrinking |
| DRAY | YieldMax DKNG Option Income Strategy ETF | -44.2% | 51.29% | 0 | -89.1% | $4M | very low safety · price down 44% · payout shrinking |
| EHY | Amplify Ethereum Max Income Covered Call ETF | -53.6% | 53.01% | 0 | -94.6% | $4M | very low safety · price down 54% · payout shrinking |
| ETCO | Grayscale Ethereum Covered Call ETF | -50.4% | 34.43% | 0 | -121.8% | $4M | very low safety · price down 50% · payout shrinking |
| HIYY | YieldMax HIMS Option Income Strategy ETF | -44.9% | 92.02% | 0 | -98.4% | $16M | very low safety · price down 45% · payout shrinking |
| HOYY | GraniteShares YieldBOOST HOOD ETF | -46.5% | 76.49% | 0 | -125.5% | $6M | very low safety · price down 47% · payout shrinking |
| METW | Roundhill META WeeklyPay ETF | -31.2% | 52.95% | 0 | -74.2% | $26M | very low safety · price down 31% · payout shrinking |
| MST | Defiance Leveraged Long + Income MSTR ETF | -95.6% | 47.64% | 0 | -129.9% | $14M | very low safety · price down 96% · payout shrinking |
| MSTW | Roundhill MSTR WeeklyPay ETF | -83.6% | 105.94% | 0 | -117.0% | $37M | very low safety · price down 84% · payout shrinking |
| MSTY | YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF | -69.3% | 78.89% | 0 | -107.5% | $753M | very low safety · price down 69% · payout shrinking |
| NFLW | Roundhill NFLX WeeklyPay ETF | -42.8% | 45.48% | 0 | -93.7% | $7M | very low safety · price down 43% · payout shrinking |
| SMYY | GraniteShares YieldBOOST SMCI ETF | -30.2% | 73.58% | 0 | -113.7% | $7M | very low safety · price down 30% · payout shrinking |
| HOOW | Roundhill HOOD WeeklyPay ETF | -19.2% | 84.35% | 1 | -102.9% | $134M | very low safety · price down 19% · payout shrinking |
| ICRC | Bitwise CRCL Option Income Strategy ETF | -54.3% | 25.38% | 1 | -171.8% | $349025 | very low safety · price down 54% · payout shrinking |
| IMRA | Bitwise MARA Option Income Strategy ETF | -38.1% | 9.83% | 1 | -136.8% | $2M | very low safety · price down 38% · payout shrinking |
| MTYY | GraniteShares YieldBOOST MSTR ETF | -69.8% | 39.88% | 1 | -120.6% | $2M | very low safety · price down 70% · payout shrinking |
| IMST | Bitwise MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF | -69.8% | 11.57% | 3 | -135.8% | $6M | very low safety · price down 70% · payout shrinking |
| MARO | YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF | -48.7% | 74.23% | 3 | -116.8% | $45M | very low safety · price down 49% · payout shrinking |
| RBLY | YieldMax RBLX Option Income Strategy ETF | -67.7% | 68.32% | 3 | -105.3% | $2M | very low safety · price down 68% · payout shrinking |
| RDYY | YieldMax RDDT Option Income Strategy ETF | -33.7% | 66.51% | 4 | -90.8% | $14M | very low safety · price down 34% · payout shrinking |
| ETTY | Amplify Ethereum 3% Monthly Option Income ETF | -54.1% | 37.73% | 5 | -87.3% | $3M | very low safety · price down 54% · payout shrinking |
| TSLW | Roundhill TSLA WeeklyPay ETF | -5.8% | 56.92% | 6 | -94.7% | $970199 | very low safety · price down 6% · payout shrinking |
| XBTY | GraniteShares YieldBOOST Bitcoin ETF | -46.1% | 30.87% | 6 | -103.8% | $11M | very low safety · price down 46% · payout shrinking |
| YETH | Roundhill Ether Covered Call Strategy ETF | -42.9% | 51.71% | 7 | -97.8% | $60M | very low safety · price down 43% · payout shrinking |
| BAGY | Amplify Bitcoin Max Income Covered Call ETF | -47.0% | 31.03% | 8 | -67.1% | $11M | very low safety · price down 47% · payout shrinking |
| BCCC | Global X Funds Global X Bitcoin Covered Call ETF | -37.0% | 30.88% | 8 | -78.2% | $9M | very low safety · price down 37% · payout shrinking |
| BITY | Amplify Bitcoin 24% Premium Income ETF | -47.2% | 24.80% | 8 | -61.7% | $12M | very low safety · price down 47% · payout shrinking |
| PLTW | Roundhill PLTR WeeklyPay ETF | -12.7% | 73.47% | 8 | -96.7% | $141M | very low safety · price down 13% · payout shrinking |
| AIYY | YieldMax AI Option Income Strategy ETF | -48.0% | 62.26% | 9 | -93.6% | $28M | very low safety · price down 48% · payout shrinking |
| PLYY | GraniteShares YieldBOOST PLTR ETF | -28.6% | 53.80% | 10 | -106.4% | $3M | very low safety · price down 29% · payout shrinking |
| SMCY | YieldMax SMCI Option Income Strategy ETF | -21.6% | 63.17% | 10 | -97.6% | $114M | very low safety · price down 22% · payout shrinking |
| YBIT | YieldMax Bitcoin Option Income Strategy ETF | -43.7% | 39.07% | 10 | -91.6% | $47M | very low safety · price down 44% · payout shrinking |
| BTCI | NEOS Bitcoin High Income ETF | -43.9% | 27.62% | 12 | -51.9% | $1.1B | very low safety · price down 44% · payout shrinking |
| PYPY | YieldMax PYPL Option Income Strategy ETF | -15.7% | 89.02% | 12 | -48.3% | $16M | very low safety · price down 16% · payout shrinking |
| YBTC | Roundhill Bitcoin Covered Call Strategy ETF | -43.0% | 30.98% | 13 | -88.7% | $139M | very low safety · price down 43% · payout shrinking |
| CRY | GraniteShares YieldBOOST CRCL ETF | — | 81.85% | 14 | -150.8% | $2M | very low safety · payout shrinking |
| MSFW | Roundhill MSFT WeeklyPay ETF | -8.9% | 41.79% | 15 | -79.8% | $36M | very low safety · price down 9% · payout shrinking |
| DFII | FT Vest Bitcoin Strategy & Target Income ETF | -46.5% | 18.57% | 17 | -65.0% | $17M | very low safety · price down 47% · payout shrinking |
| NFLP | Kurv Yield Premium Strategy Netflix ETF | -38.9% | 15.61% | 17 | -67.1% | $5M | very low safety · price down 39% · payout shrinking |
| BLOX | Nicholas Crypto Income ETF | -18.9% | 37.72% | 18 | -44.9% | $275M | very low safety · price down 19% · payout shrinking |
| HOOY | Tidal Trust II YieldMax HOOD Option Income Strategy ETF | -12.8% | 62.54% | 18 | -92.7% | $130M | very low safety · price down 13% · payout shrinking |
| FIAT | YieldMax Short COIN Option Income Strategy ETF | +48.1% | 75.99% | 19 | -57.8% | $34M | very low safety · payout shrinking |
| NFLY | YieldMax NFLX Option Income Strategy ETF | -32.0% | 35.54% | 19 | -67.7% | $38M | very low safety · price down 32% · payout shrinking |
| WNTR | YieldMax Short MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF | +111.4% | 68.79% | 19 | -63.4% | $82M | very low safety · payout shrinking |
| YGLD | Simplify Gold Strategy PLUS Income ETF | +22.4% | 9.48% | 19 | -109.5% | $39M | very low safety · payout shrinking |
A risk screen, not a prediction or recommendation. Some high-yield strategies intentionally trade principal for income. Always read each fund's full analysis. Not investment advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a yield trap?
A yield trap is an investment whose high yield is created by a falling price or an unsustainable payout, so the income lures buyers into losses. This screen flags 50 high-yield ETFs where low safety meets a deteriorating price or distribution.
Are these funds guaranteed to cut their distribution?
No. This is a risk screen, not a prediction. Some funds here run strategies that deliberately return capital as income. The list highlights a risk pattern worth understanding — it does not forecast any specific outcome.
Why show this at all?
Because the highest yields dominate every ordinary high-yield screen, and beginners often buy them for the headline number. Making the risk pattern explicit — with the exact flag for each fund — is more useful than hiding it.
What does "Why it's flagged" mean?
It lists the specific rules a fund triggered: very low or low Safety Score, a negative 1-year price change, and/or a shrinking payout. Every fund here trips at least the safety rule plus one deterioration signal.
How often is this updated?
Yields, Safety Scores, prices, and distributions refresh on every build, so a fund drops off automatically once its numbers improve.
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