QQQ vs SPMO: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
QQQ
SPMO
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexSPMO tracks the S&P 500 Momentum 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 SPMO, 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 | SPMO | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.83% | +27.80% | SPMO |
| 2025 | +20.77% | +26.58% | SPMO |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +45.82% | SPMO |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +17.56% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -10.45% | SPMO |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +22.51% | QQQ |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +27.80% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +25.93% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -0.92% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +27.76% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +7.10% | +7.18% | SPMO |
| 2015 | +9.44% | +2.78% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +19.18% | — | — |
| 2013 | +36.63% | — | — |
| 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 SPMO in plain words
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while SPMO follows the S&P 500 Momentum 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 SPMO charges 0.13% — SPMO is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 12 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 7 times and SPMO 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $51,975 in SPMO by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQ vs SPMO
| Fact | QQQ | SPMO |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco QQQ Trust | Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | S&P 500 Momentum Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.18% | 0.13% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Mar 1999 | 9 Oct 2015 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in QQQ became | What $10,000 in SPMO became |
How bumpy the ride was: QQQ vs SPMO
These head-to-head figures use only the 2,762 trading days both funds were listed: 12 Oct 2015 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 11.0 years.
QQQ swung more than SPMO: annualised volatility of 22.1% for QQQ against 20.4% for SPMO, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 35.4% of trading days and SPMO on 28.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: QQQ closed -11.98% and SPMO -15.35%.
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; SPMO fell -30.95% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.84, and they closed in opposite directions on 14.9% of the 2,761 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 14 Jan 2016, when QQQ moved +2.13% and SPMO -3.65%.
| Measure | QQQ | SPMO |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 22.1% | 20.4% |
| Worst day | -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020 | -15.35% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +12.00% on 9 Apr 2025 | +11.20% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 35.4% of days | 28.5% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.12% | -30.95% |
| 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 | 8 Jul 2020 · 3 months |
Years QQQ and SPMO parted ways
In 7 of the 11 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 SPMO +17.56%, a gap of 37.3 points. They rose together in 9 years and fell together in 2 years.
| Year | QQQ | SPMO | Gap (QQQ − SPMO) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +20.77% | +26.58% | -5.8 pts |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +45.82% | -20.2 pts |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +17.56% | +37.3 pts |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -10.45% | -22.1 pts |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +27.80% | +20.6 pts |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +25.93% | +13.0 pts |
| 2015 | +9.44% | +2.78% | +6.7 pts |
How often QQQ beat SPMO over any 12 months
Across the 120 rolling 12-month windows since October 2015, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 51.7% of them (62) and SPMO in 48.3% (58).
$200 a month into each, 2016–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2016 to December 2025 (120 payments, $24,000 in total) would have grown to $69,149 in QQQ and $68,082 in SPMO, leaving QQQ $1,067 ahead.
| Outcome | QQQ | SPMO |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $24,000 | $24,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $69,149 | $68,082 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$45,149 | +$44,082 |
| Gain in % | +188.12% | +183.68% |
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 SPMO better?
Across the 12 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 7 times and SPMO 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $51,975 in SPMO 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 SPMO?
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while SPMO follows the S&P 500 Momentum 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 SPMO charges 0.13% — SPMO 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 SPMO?
QQQ swung more than SPMO: annualised volatility of 22.1% for QQQ against 20.4% for SPMO, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 35.4% of trading days and SPMO on 28.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: QQQ closed -11.98% and SPMO -15.35%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQ or SPMO?
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; SPMO fell -30.95% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Jul 2020, 3 months after the low.
How often did QQQ beat SPMO over a 12-month period?
Across the 120 rolling 12-month windows since October 2015, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 51.7% of them (62) and SPMO in 48.3% (58).
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.