OriginaveQQQ vs VT: 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
VT
- 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 IndexVT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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 VT, 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 | VT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.83% | +12.86% | QQQ |
| 2025 | +20.77% | +22.43% | VT |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +16.49% | QQQ |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +22.02% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -18.00% | VT |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +18.27% | QQQ |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +16.59% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +26.81% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -9.76% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +24.50% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +7.10% | +8.50% | VT |
| 2015 | +9.44% | -1.86% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +3.68% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +22.94% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +18.11% | +17.12% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +3.48% | -7.51% | QQQ |
| 2010 | +20.14% | +13.08% | QQQ |
| 2009 | +54.68% | +32.66% | QQQ |
| 2008 | -41.73% | -33.05% | VT |
| 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 VT in plain words
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VT follows the FTSE Global All Cap 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 VT charges 0.06% — VT is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 15 times and VT 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $30,414 in VT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQ vs VT
| Fact | QQQ | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco QQQ Trust | Vanguard Total World Stock ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | FTSE Global All Cap Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.18% | 0.06% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Mar 1999 | 24 Jun 2008 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in QQQ became | What $10,000 in VT became |
How bumpy the ride was: QQQ vs VT
These head-to-head figures use only the 4,598 trading days both funds were listed: 26 Jun 2008 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 18.2 years.
QQQ swung more than VT: annualised volatility of 22.3% for QQQ against 20.4% for VT, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 34.4% of trading days and VT on 27.3%. QQQ's worst day was -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020; VT's was -12.14% on 15 Oct 2008.
VT had the deeper drawdown: it fell -50.26% from its peak on 26 Jun 2008 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 29 Dec 2010, 21 months after the low; QQQ fell -46.99% from its peak on 14 Aug 2008 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 22 Mar 2010, 16 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.87, and they closed in opposite directions on 17.2% of the 4,597 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 29 Oct 2008, when QQQ moved -0.25% and VT +7.37%.
| Measure | QQQ | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 22.3% | 20.4% |
| Worst day | -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020 | -12.14% on 15 Oct 2008 |
| Best day | +12.16% on 13 Oct 2008 | +13.45% on 13 Oct 2008 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 34.4% of days | 27.3% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -46.99% | -50.26% |
| Peak to trough | 14 Aug 2008 → 20 Nov 2008 | 26 Jun 2008 → 9 Mar 2009 |
| Back above the old peak | 22 Mar 2010 · 16 months | 29 Dec 2010 · 21 months |
Years QQQ and VT parted ways
In 15 of the 18 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 VT +22.02%, a gap of 32.8 points. They rose together in 13 years, fell together in 3 years and went opposite ways in 2 years.
| Year | QQQ | VT | Gap (QQQ − VT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +25.58% | +16.49% | +9.1 pts |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +22.02% | +32.8 pts |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -18.00% | -14.6 pts |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +18.27% | +9.2 pts |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +16.59% | +31.8 pts |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +26.81% | +12.1 pts |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -9.76% | +9.6 pts |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +24.50% | +8.2 pts |
| 2015 | +9.44% | -1.86% | +11.3 pts |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +3.68% | +15.5 pts |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +22.94% | +13.7 pts |
| 2011 | +3.48% | -7.51% | +11.0 pts |
| 2010 | +20.14% | +13.08% | +7.1 pts |
| 2009 | +54.68% | +32.66% | +22.0 pts |
| 2008 | -41.73% | -33.05% | -8.7 pts |
How often QQQ beat VT over any 12 months
Across the 208 rolling 12-month windows since June 2008, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 86.1% of them (179) and VT in 13.9% (29).
$200 a month into each, 2009–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2009 to December 2025 (204 payments, $40,800 in total) would have grown to $264,263 in QQQ and $114,121 in VT, leaving QQQ $150,142 ahead.
| Outcome | QQQ | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $40,800 | $40,800 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $264,263 | $114,121 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$223,463 | +$73,321 |
| Gain in % | +547.70% | +179.71% |
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 VT better?
Across the 19 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 15 times and VT 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $30,414 in VT 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 VT?
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VT follows the FTSE Global All Cap 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 VT charges 0.06% — VT 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 VT?
QQQ swung more than VT: annualised volatility of 22.3% for QQQ against 20.4% for VT, with QQQ moving 1% or more on 34.4% of trading days and VT on 27.3%. QQQ's worst day was -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020; VT's was -12.14% on 15 Oct 2008.
Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQ or VT?
VT had the deeper drawdown: it fell -50.26% from its peak on 26 Jun 2008 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 29 Dec 2010, 21 months after the low; QQQ fell -46.99% from its peak on 14 Aug 2008 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 22 Mar 2010, 16 months after the low.
How often did QQQ beat VT over a 12-month period?
Across the 208 rolling 12-month windows since June 2008, measured month-end to month-end, QQQ finished ahead in 86.1% of them (179) and VT in 13.9% (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.