MIAMI, Sept. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Defiance ETFs, a pioneer in tactical and income-driven exchange-traded funds, today announced the launch of the Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread™ Income ETF (QLDY) — the first ETF designed to pay distributions twice a week. QLDY seeks to combine a breakthrough income strategy with exposure to the Nasdaq 100 Index, offering investors both current income and the potential for capital appreciation.
The LightningSpread™ Strategy
QLDY is actively managed and seeks to deliver consistent, frequent income through its proprietary LightningSpread™ strategy. This innovative approach is designed to generate daily income, which the Fund intends to distribute every Monday and Thursday:
- Synthetic Long Exposure – QLDY purchases long-dated, deep in-the-money (Deep-ITM) call options on the Nasdaq 100, providing exposure to the Index’s price performance.
- Daily Income Generation – Each trading day, QLDY sells zero-days-to-expiration (0DTE) put spreads on the Nasdaq 100, collecting option premiums to fund income distributions.
- Enhanced Yield Support – The Fund also invests in short-term U.S. Treasuries and money market funds to further boost income from uninvested cash.
This dual strategy aims to capture the growth potential of the Nasdaq 100 while systematically generating option premium income, giving investors a unique blend of equity participation and frequent cash flow.
First-of-Its-Kind Distribution Frequency
Unlike traditional ETFs that pay quarterly or monthly, QLDY is the first U.S. ETF designed to distribute income twice weekly. This structure seeks to align income delivery more closely with today’s fast-paced markets and the needs of tactical and income-focused investors.
An investment in QLDY is not an investment in the Nasdaq 100 Index or its component securities. The Fund’s strategy will cap its potential options income gains if the Nasdaq 100 increases significantly in value. The Fund’s strategy is subject to all potential losses if the Nasdaq 100 declines, which may not be offset by income received by the Fund. The Fund does not invest directly in Nasdaq 100 securities. Fund shareholders are not entitled to any dividends paid by Nasdaq 100 companies.
There is no guarantee that the Fund’s investment strategy will be properly implemented, and an investor may lose some or all of its investment.
* The fund intends to pay Distributions, if any, on a bi-weekly basis.
About Defiance
Founded in 2018, Defiance is at the forefront of ETF innovation. Defiance is a leading ETF issuer specializing in thematic, income, and leveraged ETFs. Its first-mover leveraged single-stock and crypto-linked ETFs empower investors to take amplified positions in high-growth themes, providing precise leverage exposure without the need for a margin account.
Important Disclosures:
The Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses must be considered carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the investment company. Please read carefully before investing. A hard copy of the prospectus can be requested by calling 833.333.9383.
Defiance ETFs, LLC and ZEGA Financial, LLC are sponsors of the Fund. Tidal Investments, LLC (‘Tidal’) serves as the Fund’s investment adviser.
Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible. As an ETF, the Fund may trade at a premium or discount to NAV. Shares of any ETF are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. A portfolio concentrated in a single industry or index, such as the Nasdaq 100, may be subject to a higher degree of risk. Fund holdings and sector allocations are subject to change at any time and should not be considered recommendations to buy or sell any security.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s use of derivatives, including options, may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities, including market risk, imperfect correlation with underlying instruments, higher price volatility, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation, and legal restrictions.
Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared. In these cases, the Fund’s counterparty is the clearing house rather than a bank or broker. If the Fund cannot find a clearing member to transact with, it may be unable to effectively implement its investment strategy.
Options Contracts. The use of options involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and influenced by actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, volatility expectations, interest rates, time to expiration, and market events.
Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that involves selling put spreads and purchasing deep in-the-money call options. This structure limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the Nasdaq 100 and may result in the Fund underperforming the Index during strong equity market rallies.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, a decline in the value of one or more investments could cause the Fund’s overall value to decline more significantly.
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. Investors therefore do not have a performance track record on which to base decisions.
Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against loss in a declining market.
Commissions may be charged on trades.
Distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC.
Contact information
David Hanono
[email protected]
833.333.9383
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2599e7bc-5afc-4d41-8c83-d7a3583be7a4
