Is MERKX or XYLD a better dividend investment in 2026?

MERKX currently yields 26.21% with a 5% 5-year dividend growth rate. XYLD yields 10.98% with 0.5% growth. The better choice depends on your goal: MERKX offers higher current income.

What is the dividend yield difference between MERKX and XYLD?

MERKX has a forward dividend yield of 26.21% ($2.00/share annually). XYLD yields 10.98% ($4.30/share annually). The yield gap is 15.23 percentage points.

Home › Compare › MERKX vs XYLD

MERKX vs XYLD: Dividend Comparison 2026

MERKX yields 26.21% · XYLD yields 10.98%● Live data

vsPost on X →

After 10 years · $10,000 invested · DRIP enabled

🏆 MERKX wins by $80.8K in total portfolio value

INVESTMENT

TIME HORIZON10 years

MERKX

● Live price

26.21%

Share price

$7.63

Annual div

$2.00

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$106.1K

Annual income

$12,477.29

Full MERKX calculator →

XYLD

Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF

● Live price

10.98%

Share price

$39.13

Annual div

$4.30

5Y div CAGR

Payout ratio

50%

After 10 yrs · $10,000 · DRIP

Portfolio value

$25.3K

Annual income

$3,219.02

Full XYLD calculator →

Portfolio growth — MERKX vs XYLD

📍 MERKX pulled ahead of the other in Year 1

Annual dividend income

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Recession Test — Did They Cut Dividends?

How each stock treated shareholders during the 3 biggest crises of the last 20 years

Crisis Period	MERKX	XYLD
2008–2009 GFC	— No data	— No data
2020 Q1–Q2 COVID	— No data	— No data
2022 Q4 Rate Hike	— No data	— No data

Based on dividend payment history. "Increased" = dividend grew during crisis. "Maintained" = held within 3%. "Cut" = reduced by more than 3%.

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Dividend Calendar Overlap

Combined, MERKX + XYLD cover 0 of 12 months — good coverage

Jan

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Feb

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Mar

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Apr

—

May

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Jun

—

Jul

—

Aug

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Sep

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Oct

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Nov

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Dec

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MERKX pays

XYLD pays

Both pay

Neither

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Tax Bracket Optimizer

Which stock is actually better after tax? Adjust your rate to find out.

MERKX

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$2,228.05/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$10,605.70/yr

XYLD

Annual income on $10K today (after 15% tax)

$933.63/yr

After 10yr DRIP, annual income (after tax)

$2,736.17/yr

At 15% tax rate, MERKX beats the other by $7,869.53/year in after-tax income after 10 years on $10,000

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Lazy Portfolio Split Optimizer

What's the optimal mix of MERKX + XYLD for your $10,000?

MERKX: 50%XYLD: 50%

100% XYLD50/50100% MERKX

Portfolio after 10yr

$65.7K

Annual income

$7,848.15/yr

Blended yield

11.95%

🏛️

Copy Congress — What Are Politicians Buying?

Senate & House STOCK Act disclosures (last 90 days)

MERKX buys

XYLD buys

No recent congressional trades found for MERKX or XYLD in the last 90 days.

STOCK Act mandates disclosure within 45 days of transaction. Data via FMP.Full tracker →

MetricMERKXXYLD

Forward yield	26.21% ✓	10.98%
Annual dividend / share	$2.00	$4.30 ✓
Payout ratio	50%	50%
1-year div growth	0%	0%
5-year div CAGR	0%	0%
Portfolio after 10y	$106.1K ✓	$25.3K
Annual income after 10y	$12,477.29 ✓	$3,219.02
Total dividends collected	$68.6K ✓	$19.6K
Payment frequency	quarterly	monthly
Sector	Stock	ETF

Year-by-year: MERKX vs XYLD ($10,000, DRIP)

Year	MERKX Portfolio	MERKX Income/yr	XYLD Portfolio	XYLD Income/yr	Gap
1← crossover	$13,321	$2,621.23	$10,818	$1,098.39	+$2.5K → MERKX
2	$17,517	$3,263.37	$11,738	$1,222.51	+$5.8K → MERKX
3	$22,754	$4,010.51	$12,774	$1,364.64	+$10.0K → MERKX
4	$29,215	$4,868.64	$13,944	$1,527.86	+$15.3K → MERKX
5	$37,103	$5,842.24	$15,270	$1,715.87	+$21.8K → MERKX
6	$46,634	$6,934.10	$16,775	$1,933.09	+$29.9K → MERKX
7	$58,043	$8,145.23	$18,490	$2,184.87	+$39.6K → MERKX
8	$71,581	$9,474.83	$20,450	$2,477.63	+$51.1K → MERKX
9	$87,512	$10,920.30	$22,697	$2,819.19	+$64.8K → MERKX
10	$106,115	$12,477.29	$25,280	$3,219.02	+$80.8K → MERKX

MERKX vs XYLD: Complete Analysis 2026

MERKX — Stock

The fund invests at least 80% of the value of its net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) in "hard currency" denominated investments. The fund normally obtains exposure to hard currencies by directly investing in high quality, short-term debt instruments, including sovereign debt, denominated in hard currencies, or indirectly by investing in domestic fixed income securities and forward foreign currency contracts on hard currencies. The fund is non-diversified.

Full MERKX Calculator →

XYLD — ETF

The Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF (XYLD) seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Cboe S&P 500 BuyWrite Index.

Full XYLD Calculator →

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⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Congressional trades sourced from SEC STOCK Act filings via FMP. Past performance does not guarantee future results.