OriginaveQQQ vs URTH: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
QQQ
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
URTH
- SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
- VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
- SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexURTH tracks the MSCI World 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 URTH, 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 | URTH | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.83% | +11.76% | QQQ |
| 2025 | +20.77% | +21.36% | URTH |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +18.66% | QQQ |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +23.95% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -17.97% | URTH |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +22.27% | QQQ |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +15.78% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +28.15% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -8.56% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +22.95% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +7.10% | +7.31% | URTH |
| 2015 | +9.44% | -0.64% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +4.37% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +26.66% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +18.11% | +14.71% | QQQ |
| 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 URTH in plain words
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while URTH follows the MSCI World 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 URTH charges 0.24% — QQQ is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 15 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 12 times and URTH 3 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $32,044 in URTH by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQ vs URTH
| Fact | QQQ | URTH |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco QQQ Trust | iShares MSCI World ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | MSCI World Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.18% | 0.24% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Mar 1999 | 10 Jan 2012 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in QQQ became | What $10,000 in URTH became |
How bumpy the ride was: QQQ vs URTH
These head-to-head figures use only the 3,704 trading days both funds were listed: 12 Jan 2012 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 14.7 years.
QQQ swung more than URTH: annualised volatility of 20.5% for QQQ against 16.9% for URTH, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 32.6% of trading days and URTH on 23.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: QQQ closed -11.98% and URTH -11.38%.
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; URTH fell -34.01% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.82, and they closed in opposite directions on 17.6% of the 3,703 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 12 Jun 2013, when QQQ moved -1.16% and URTH +4.18%.
| Measure | QQQ | URTH |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 20.5% | 16.9% |
| Worst day | -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020 | -11.38% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +12.00% on 9 Apr 2025 | +9.10% on 24 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 32.6% of days | 23.5% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.12% | -34.01% |
| Peak to trough | 27 Dec 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 | 12 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 13 Dec 2023 · 13 months | 24 Aug 2020 · 5 months |
Years QQQ and URTH parted ways
In 11 of the 14 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2020: QQQ returned +48.41% and URTH +15.78%, a gap of 32.6 points. They rose together in 11 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 1 year.
| Year | QQQ | URTH | Gap (QQQ − URTH) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +25.58% | +18.66% | +6.9 pts |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +23.95% | +30.9 pts |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -17.97% | -14.6 pts |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +22.27% | +5.1 pts |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +15.78% | +32.6 pts |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +28.15% | +10.8 pts |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -8.56% | +8.4 pts |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +22.95% | +9.7 pts |
| 2015 | +9.44% | -0.64% | +10.1 pts |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +4.37% | +14.8 pts |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +26.66% | +10.0 pts |
How often QQQ beat URTH over any 12 months
Across the 165 rolling 12-month windows since January 2012, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 82.4% of them (136) and URTH in 17.6% (29).
$200 a month into each, 2013–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2013 to December 2025 (156 payments, $31,200 in total) would have grown to $123,763 in QQQ and $72,749 in URTH, leaving QQQ $51,013 ahead.
| Outcome | QQQ | URTH |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $31,200 | $31,200 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $123,763 | $72,749 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$92,563 | +$41,549 |
| Gain in % | +296.68% | +133.17% |
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 URTH better?
Across the 15 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 12 times and URTH 3 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $32,044 in URTH 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 URTH?
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while URTH follows the MSCI World 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 URTH charges 0.24% — QQQ 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 URTH?
QQQ swung more than URTH: annualised volatility of 20.5% for QQQ against 16.9% for URTH, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 32.6% of trading days and URTH on 23.5%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: QQQ closed -11.98% and URTH -11.38%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQ or URTH?
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; URTH fell -34.01% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low.
How often did QQQ beat URTH over a 12-month period?
Across the 165 rolling 12-month windows since January 2012, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 82.4% of them (136) and URTH in 17.6% (29).
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.