Each week, we calculate the average YTD total return for hundreds of income-generating active ETFs across six equity and equity-like income categories — from dividend growth and covered calls to preferred stock and alternative income strategies — apply a minimum AUM threshold of USD 10 million to filter out ETFs lacking sufficient scale, and rank categories by that average, surfacing the top performers within each. The result is a consistent, data-driven weekly snapshot that helps income investors quickly identify where active management is delivering results right now.
This week’s Active ETF Income Scorecard finds Active High Dividend holding the top spot for a fourth straight week, though Active Foreign Dividend is closing the gap fast as a weaker dollar fuels a broader emerging-markets rally. All six income categories moved higher this week, a clean sweep that reflects the continued rotation out of mega-cap tech and into value, small-cap and international dividend strategies.
Income-generating active ETF categories are ranked below by the average YTD total return of some of the largest active ETFs in each category, as measured by their latest reported AUM.
Explore the full range of income-generating strategies among the active ETFs on Dividend.com.
Active High Dividend (YTD Total Return: +19.13%)
Active High Dividend extended its run atop the scorecard, rising to +19.13% from +17.95% last week as the shift into small-cap and value payers kept broadening. A weak June jobs report added fuel to the rotation, and income investors here are being rewarded for shareholder yield and cyclical tilt over mega-cap tech exposure.
Cambria Micro and SmallCap Shareholder Yield ETF (MYLD), up 27.07% YTD, yielding 2.0%, kept the category lead. Cambria Shareholder Yield ETF (SYLD), up 22.39% YTD, yielding 1.7%, and John Hancock US High Dividend ETF (JHDV), up 19.63% YTD, yielding 2.2%, held the next two spots. Eventide High Dividend ETF (ELCV), up 19.41% YTD, yielding 1.8%, rounded out the top four as the rally widened. Investors chasing this move can browse the full group on Dividend.com’s high dividend resource page.
Active Foreign Dividend (YTD Total Return: +18.63%)
Active Foreign Dividend jumped to +18.63% from +16.47% last week, the sharpest gain of any category, as a sliding dollar sent capital pouring into emerging-markets equities. Income investors abroad are picking up both attractive yield and renewed price momentum tied to the EM upswing.
Abrdn Emerging Markets Dividend Active ETF (AGEM), up 25.88% YTD, yielding 1.9%, held the category lead. WisdomTree Emerging Markets Quality Dividend Growth Fund (DGRE), up 24.33% YTD, yielding 1.4%, and Cambria Foreign Shareholder Yield ETF (FYLD), up 21.81% YTD, yielding 3.6%, held the next two spots. Cambria Emerging Shareholder Yield ETF (EYLD), up 21.05% YTD, yielding 5.0%, rounded out the top four with the group’s highest payout. Those looking beyond U.S. borders for income can dig into the details on Dividend.com’s foreign dividend page.
Active Dividend Growth (YTD Total Return: +13.05%)
Active Dividend Growth climbed to +13.05% from +11.95% last week as the same rotation into smaller, cyclical names kept lifting dividend growers. This space still suits investors who want rising payouts over time rather than the highest current yield.
Freedom Day Dividend ETF (MBOX), up 20.64% YTD, yielding 2.0%, kept the category lead. Altrius Global Dividend ETF (DIVD), up 17.94% YTD, yielding 2.7%, and Bahl & Gaynor Small Cap Dividend ETF (SCDV), up 17.67% YTD, yielding 0.4%, held the next two spots. T. Rowe Price Equity Income ETF (TEQI), up 16.88% YTD, yielding 1.6%, rounded out the top four. Investors seeking durable dividend growers can dig deeper on the Dividend Aristocrats page on Dividend.com.
Active Alternative Dividend (YTD Total Return: +11.29%)
Active Alternative Dividend held roughly steady at +11.29%, up slightly from +11.17% last week, as choppy oil prices capped further gains even as midstream MLPs stayed resilient. Income investors here are paid through real-asset cash flows tied to energy and infrastructure rather than traditional dividends.
Invesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF (PDBC), up 30.19% YTD, yielding 3.2%, held the category lead. InfraCap MLP ETF (AMZA), up 28.82% YTD, yielding 8.2%, and Invesco SteelPath MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF (PIPE), up 27.60% YTD, yielding 4.1%, held the next two spots as midstream strategies kept benefiting from fee-based, inflation-protected cash flows. Real-asset income investors can explore the full group on Dividend.com’s alternatives and REIT resource page.
Active Covered Call (YTD Total Return: +7.65%)
Active Covered Call rebounded to +7.65% from +6.13% last week as AMD’s blowout second-quarter results and a rally in Moderna shares lifted the category’s biggest single-stock option-income funds. This category still suits investors comfortable trading capped upside for high income, though returns here track the underlying stock closely.
YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF (AMDY), up 89.57% YTD, with a distribution rate near 73.6%, kept the category lead after AMD posted record quarterly revenue of $11.5 billion. YieldMax MRNA Option Income Strategy ETF (MRNY), up 62.52% YTD, with a distribution rate near 83.7%, and YieldMax Target 12 Semiconductor Option Income ETF (SOXY), up 59.50% YTD, with a distribution rate near 12.0%, held the next two spots. YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option Income ETF (CHPY), up 56.51% YTD, with a distribution rate near 41.0%, rounded out the top four. A broader view of options-based income strategies is available in our covered call ETF guide.
Active Preferred Stock Dividend (YTD Total Return: +1.82%)
Active Preferred Stock Dividend edged up to +1.82% from +1.29% last week as the 10-year Treasury yield eased on hopes for de-escalation in the Middle East. Yields near 5% to 10% continue to anchor investors managing duration risk in this corner of the income market.
Cohen & Steers Preferred & Income Opportunities Active ETF (CSPF), up 3.34% YTD, yielding 5.3%, held the category lead. First Trust Institutional Preferred Securities and Income ETF (FPEI), up 2.06% YTD, yielding 4.9%, and John Hancock Preferred Income ETF (JHPI), up 1.92% YTD, yielding 5.3%, held the next two spots. Virtus InfraCap US Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA), up 1.91% YTD, yielding 9.6%, rounded out the top four with the group’s highest payout. A closer look at preferred income options is available through Dividend.com’s preferred securities resource.
Categories to Watch
Last week’s scorecard held its category order but split on direction. This week broke that pattern entirely: every category gained ground, and the top spot is now a real contest, with Active Foreign Dividend trailing Active High Dividend by less than a point after closing a gap that stood at nearly a point and a half a week ago. Active Covered Call’s rebound rode almost entirely on two stocks, AMD and Moderna, so investors leaning on that category for steady income should watch how fast those gains could unwind. Active Preferred Stock Dividend stays the most rate-sensitive category on the board, and any hawkish shift from the Fed in September could erase this week’s gain.
Use the Dividend.com screener to search for income securities that meet your specific needs.
For more updates on income investing and past issues of this scorecard, visit the Dividend.com news section.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
