QQQ vs MTUM: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
QQQ
MTUM
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexMTUM tracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant 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.
QQQ vs MTUM, 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 | QQQ | MTUM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.83% | +27.29% | MTUM |
| 2025 | +20.77% | +22.15% | MTUM |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +32.89% | MTUM |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +9.15% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -18.27% | MTUM |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +13.36% | QQQ |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +29.86% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +27.25% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -1.67% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +37.50% | MTUM |
| 2016 | +7.10% | +5.00% | QQQ |
| 2015 | +9.44% | +8.91% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +14.62% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +19.21% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +18.11% | — | — |
| 2011 | +3.48% | — | — |
| 2010 | +20.14% | — | — |
| 2009 | +54.68% | — | — |
| 2008 | -41.73% | — | — |
| 2007 | +19.03% | — | — |
| 2006 | +7.14% | — | — |
| 2005 | +1.57% | — | — |
| 2004 | +10.54% | — | — |
| 2003 | +49.67% | — | — |
| 2002 | -37.37% | — | — |
| 2001 | -33.34% | — | — |
| 2000 | -36.11% | — | — |
| 1999 | +78.95% | — | — |
QQQ vs MTUM in plain words
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while MTUM follows the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQ charges 0.18% a year in running costs and MTUM charges 0.15% — MTUM is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 9 times and MTUM 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $38,506 in MTUM by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQ vs MTUM
| Fact | QQQ | MTUM |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco QQQ Trust | iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.18% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Mar 1999 | 16 Apr 2013 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in QQQ became | What $10,000 in MTUM became |
How bumpy the ride was: QQQ vs MTUM
These head-to-head figures use only the 3,388 trading days both funds were listed: 18 Apr 2013 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 13.4 years.
QQQ swung more than MTUM: annualised volatility of 21.0% for QQQ against 20.1% for MTUM, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 33.1% of trading days and MTUM on 30.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: QQQ closed -11.98% and MTUM -12.37%.
QQQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.12% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 13 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; MTUM fell -34.08% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.89, and they closed in opposite directions on 15.8% of the 3,387 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 2 Feb 2023, when QQQ moved +3.59% and MTUM -1.91%.
| Measure | QQQ | MTUM |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 21.0% | 20.1% |
| Worst day | -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020 | -12.37% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +12.00% on 9 Apr 2025 | +10.65% on 24 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 33.1% of days | 30.5% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.12% | -34.08% |
| Peak to trough | 27 Dec 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 | 19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 13 Dec 2023 · 13 months | 6 Jul 2020 · 3 months |
Years QQQ and MTUM parted ways
In 7 of the 13 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: QQQ returned +54.86% and MTUM +9.15%, a gap of 45.7 points. They rose together in 11 years and fell together in 2 years.
| Year | QQQ | MTUM | Gap (QQQ − MTUM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +25.58% | +32.89% | -7.3 pts |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +9.15% | +45.7 pts |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -18.27% | -14.3 pts |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +13.36% | +14.1 pts |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +29.86% | +18.5 pts |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +27.25% | +11.7 pts |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +19.21% | +17.4 pts |
How often QQQ beat MTUM over any 12 months
Across the 150 rolling 12-month windows since April 2013, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 66.7% of them (100) and MTUM in 33.3% (50).
$200 a month into each, 2014–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2014 to December 2025 (144 payments, $28,800 in total) would have grown to $101,315 in QQQ and $71,839 in MTUM, leaving QQQ $29,475 ahead.
| Outcome | QQQ | MTUM |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $28,800 | $28,800 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $101,315 | $71,839 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$72,515 | +$43,039 |
| Gain in % | +251.79% | +149.44% |
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 QQQ or MTUM better?
Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 9 times and MTUM 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $38,506 in MTUM 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 QQQ and MTUM?
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while MTUM follows the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQ charges 0.18% a year in running costs and MTUM charges 0.15% — MTUM 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, QQQ or MTUM?
QQQ swung more than MTUM: annualised volatility of 21.0% for QQQ against 20.1% for MTUM, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 33.1% of trading days and MTUM on 30.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: QQQ closed -11.98% and MTUM -12.37%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQ or MTUM?
QQQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.12% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 13 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; MTUM fell -34.08% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
How often did QQQ beat MTUM over a 12-month period?
Across the 150 rolling 12-month windows since April 2013, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 66.7% of them (100) and MTUM in 33.3% (50).
What would $10,000 in QQQ have become?
$10,000 invested in QQQ at the start of 2016 grew to $59,045 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 19.4% 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.