IVV vs QQQ: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
IVV
QQQ
IVV tracks the S&P 500 IndexQQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
What did the last 10 years do to $10,000?
You invest $10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted.
IVV vs QQQ, year by year
Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.
| Year | IVV | QQQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.74% | +20.83% | QQQ |
| 2025 | +17.85% | +20.77% | QQQ |
| 2024 | +24.93% | +25.58% | QQQ |
| 2023 | +26.31% | +54.86% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -18.16% | -32.58% | IVV |
| 2021 | +28.76% | +27.42% | IVV |
| 2020 | +18.40% | +48.41% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +31.25% | +38.96% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -4.49% | -0.13% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +21.75% | +32.66% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +11.54% | +7.10% | IVV |
| 2015 | +1.28% | +9.44% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +13.57% | +19.18% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +32.31% | +36.63% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +16.06% | +18.11% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +1.88% | +3.48% | QQQ |
| 2010 | +15.10% | +20.14% | QQQ |
| 2009 | +26.61% | +54.68% | QQQ |
| 2008 | -37.01% | -41.73% | IVV |
| 2007 | +5.29% | +19.03% | QQQ |
| 2006 | +15.94% | +7.14% | IVV |
| 2005 | +4.87% | +1.57% | IVV |
| 2004 | +10.79% | +10.54% | IVV |
| 2003 | +28.46% | +49.67% | QQQ |
| 2002 | -21.53% | -37.37% | IVV |
| 2001 | -11.96% | -33.34% | IVV |
| 2000 | -6.08% | -36.11% | IVV |
| 1999 | — | +78.95% | — |
IVV vs QQQ in plain words
IVV tracks the S&P 500 Index while QQQ follows the Nasdaq-100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. IVV charges 0.03% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — IVV is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 27 calendar years both funds were trading, IVV finished the year ahead 10 times and QQQ 17 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,497 in IVV versus $59,045 in QQQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: IVV vs QQQ
| Fact | IVV | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Invesco QQQ Trust |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.18% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 15 May 2000 | 10 Mar 1999 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in IVV became | What $10,000 in QQQ became |
How bumpy the ride was: IVV vs QQQ
These head-to-head figures use only the 6,634 trading days both funds were listed: 19 May 2000 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 26.3 years.
QQQ swung more than IVV: annualised volatility of 18.9% for IVV against 25.9% for QQQ, with IVV moving 1% or more on 26.9% of trading days and QQQ on 38.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: IVV closed -11.57% and QQQ -11.98%.
QQQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -80.45% from its peak on 1 Sept 2000 to a low on 9 Oct 2002, then closed back above the old peak on 1 Jul 2014, 140 months after the low; IVV fell -55.25% from its peak on 9 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 16 Aug 2012, 41 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.86, and they closed in opposite directions on 14.4% of the 6,633 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 3 Jan 2001, when IVV moved +4.98% and QQQ +16.84%.
| Measure | IVV | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 18.9% | 25.9% |
| Worst day | -11.57% on 16 Mar 2020 | -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +11.10% on 28 Oct 2008 | +16.84% on 3 Jan 2001 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 26.9% of days | 38.3% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -55.25% | -80.45% |
| Peak to trough | 9 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 2009 | 1 Sept 2000 → 9 Oct 2002 |
| Back above the old peak | 16 Aug 2012 · 41 months | 1 Jul 2014 · 140 months |
Years IVV and QQQ parted ways
In 15 of the 26 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2000: IVV returned -6.08% and QQQ -36.11%, a gap of 30.0 points. They rose together in 20 years and fell together in 6 years.
| Year | IVV | QQQ | Gap (IVV − QQQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +26.31% | +54.86% | -28.5 pts |
| 2022 | -18.16% | -32.58% | +14.4 pts |
| 2020 | +18.40% | +48.41% | -30.0 pts |
| 2019 | +31.25% | +38.96% | -7.7 pts |
| 2017 | +21.75% | +32.66% | -10.9 pts |
| 2015 | +1.28% | +9.44% | -8.2 pts |
| 2014 | +13.57% | +19.18% | -5.6 pts |
| 2010 | +15.10% | +20.14% | -5.0 pts |
| 2009 | +26.61% | +54.68% | -28.1 pts |
| 2007 | +5.29% | +19.03% | -13.7 pts |
| 2006 | +15.94% | +7.14% | +8.8 pts |
| 2003 | +28.46% | +49.67% | -21.2 pts |
| 2002 | -21.53% | -37.37% | +15.8 pts |
| 2001 | -11.96% | -33.34% | +21.4 pts |
| 2000 | -6.08% | -36.11% | +30.0 pts |
How often IVV beat QQQ over any 12 months
Across the 305 rolling 12-month windows since May 2000, measured month-end to month-end, IVV finished ahead in 32.1% of them (98) and QQQ in 67.9% (207).
$200 a month into each, 2001–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2001 to December 2025 (300 payments, $60,000 in total) would have grown to $329,542 in IVV and $640,181 in QQQ, leaving QQQ $310,638 ahead.
| Outcome | IVV | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $60,000 | $60,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $329,542 | $640,181 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$269,542 | +$580,181 |
| Gain in % | +449.24% | +966.97% |
Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.
Frequently asked
Is IVV or QQQ better?
Across the 27 calendar years both funds were trading, IVV finished the year ahead 10 times and QQQ 17 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,497 in IVV versus $59,045 in QQQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.
What is the difference between IVV and QQQ?
IVV tracks the S&P 500 Index while QQQ follows the Nasdaq-100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. IVV charges 0.03% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — IVV is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
Which is more volatile, IVV or QQQ?
QQQ swung more than IVV: annualised volatility of 18.9% for IVV against 25.9% for QQQ, with IVV moving 1% or more on 26.9% of trading days and QQQ on 38.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: IVV closed -11.57% and QQQ -11.98%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, IVV or QQQ?
QQQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -80.45% from its peak on 1 Sept 2000 to a low on 9 Oct 2002, then closed back above the old peak on 1 Jul 2014, 140 months after the low; IVV fell -55.25% from its peak on 9 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 16 Aug 2012, 41 months after the low.
How often did IVV beat QQQ over a 12-month period?
Across the 305 rolling 12-month windows since May 2000, measured month-end to month-end, IVV finished ahead in 32.1% of them (98) and QQQ in 67.9% (207).
What would $10,000 in IVV have become?
$10,000 invested in IVV at the start of 2016 grew to $39,497 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.7% per year.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the US primary listings, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.