QQQM vs ACWI: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
QQQM
ACWI
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI Index
What did the last 5 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. Both funds are measured over the same 5 full years (2021–2025) — the longest stretch both were trading.
QQQM vs ACWI, 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 | QQQM | ACWI | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.88% | +12.94% | QQQM |
| 2025 | +20.85% | +22.41% | ACWI |
| 2024 | +25.68% | +17.45% | QQQM |
| 2023 | +55.01% | +22.27% | QQQM |
| 2022 | -32.52% | -18.39% | ACWI |
| 2021 | +27.45% | +18.66% | QQQM |
| 2020 | +6.67% | +16.34% | ACWI |
| 2019 | — | +26.59% | — |
| 2018 | — | -9.12% | — |
| 2017 | — | +24.33% | — |
| 2016 | — | +8.40% | — |
| 2015 | — | -2.21% | — |
| 2014 | — | +3.83% | — |
| 2013 | — | +22.38% | — |
| 2012 | — | +16.75% | — |
| 2011 | — | -7.82% | — |
| 2010 | — | +12.78% | — |
| 2009 | — | +32.36% | — |
| 2008 | — | -35.29% | — |
QQQM vs ACWI in plain words
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while ACWI follows the MSCI ACWI Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQM charges 0.15% a year in running costs and ACWI charges 0.32% — QQQM is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 4 times and ACWI 3 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $17,025 in ACWI by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQM vs ACWI
| Fact | QQQM | ACWI |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | iShares MSCI ACWI ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | MSCI ACWI Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.15% | 0.32% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 13 Oct 2020 | 26 Mar 2008 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in QQQM became | What $10,000 in ACWI became |
How bumpy the ride was: QQQM vs ACWI
These head-to-head figures use only the 1,502 trading days both funds were listed: 13 Oct 2020 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 6.0 years.
QQQM swung more than ACWI: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 15.8% for ACWI, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and ACWI on 25.8%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and ACWI -6.12%.
QQQM had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.04% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; ACWI fell -26.42% from its peak on 3 Jan 2022 to a low on 12 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 25 Jan 2024, 15 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.91, and they closed in opposite directions on 15.8% of the 1,501 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Nov 2020, when QQQM moved -2.07% and ACWI +1.45%.
| Measure | QQQM | ACWI |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 22.2% | 15.8% |
| Worst day | -6.11% on 4 Apr 2025 | -6.12% on 4 Apr 2025 |
| Best day | +11.74% on 9 Apr 2025 | +8.79% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 40.3% of days | 25.8% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.04% | -26.42% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 | 3 Jan 2022 → 12 Oct 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 12 Dec 2023 · 13 months | 25 Jan 2024 · 15 months |
Years QQQM and ACWI parted ways
In 5 of the 6 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2023: QQQM returned +55.01% and ACWI +22.27%, a gap of 32.7 points. They rose together in 5 years and fell together in 1 year.
| Year | QQQM | ACWI | Gap (QQQM − ACWI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +25.68% | +17.45% | +8.2 pts |
| 2023 | +55.01% | +22.27% | +32.7 pts |
| 2022 | -32.52% | -18.39% | -14.1 pts |
| 2021 | +27.45% | +18.66% | +8.8 pts |
| 2020 | +6.67% | +16.34% | -9.7 pts |
How often QQQM beat ACWI over any 12 months
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, QQQM finished ahead in 71.7% of them (43) and ACWI in 28.3% (17).
$200 a month into each, 2021–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2021 to December 2025 (60 payments, $12,000 in total) would have grown to $19,699 in QQQM and $17,451 in ACWI, leaving QQQM $2,248 ahead.
| Outcome | QQQM | ACWI |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $19,699 | $17,451 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$7,699 | +$5,451 |
| Gain in % | +64.16% | +45.43% |
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 QQQM or ACWI better?
Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 4 times and ACWI 3 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $17,025 in ACWI 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 QQQM and ACWI?
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while ACWI follows the MSCI ACWI Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQM charges 0.15% a year in running costs and ACWI charges 0.32% — QQQM 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, QQQM or ACWI?
QQQM swung more than ACWI: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 15.8% for ACWI, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and ACWI on 25.8%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and ACWI -6.12%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQM or ACWI?
QQQM had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.04% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; ACWI fell -26.42% from its peak on 3 Jan 2022 to a low on 12 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 25 Jan 2024, 15 months after the low.
How often did QQQM beat ACWI over a 12-month period?
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, QQQM finished ahead in 71.7% of them (43) and ACWI in 28.3% (17).
What would $10,000 in QQQM have become?
$10,000 invested in QQQM at the start of 2021 grew to $20,250 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 15.2% 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.