QQQM vs SPHQ: which ETF won each year?

Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.

QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexSPHQ tracks the S&P 500 Quality 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 turned it into
$20,250
+15.16% per year on average · 2021–2025
SPHQ turned it into
$19,060
+13.77% per year on average · 2021–2025
Difference
+$1,190
QQQM made more of the same money

QQQM vs SPHQ, 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.

Years compared
7
where both funds were trading
QQQM won
4
years
SPHQ won
3
years
YearQQQMSPHQWinner
2026 (so far)+20.88%+12.92%QQQM
2025+20.85%+13.25%QQQM
2024+25.68%+25.44%QQQM
2023+55.01%+24.83%QQQM
2022-32.52%-15.76%SPHQ
2021+27.45%+27.59%SPHQ
2020+6.67%+16.93%SPHQ
2019—+33.63%—
2018—-7.09%—
2017—+19.10%—
2016—+14.30%—
2015—+1.64%—
2014—+16.08%—
2013—+32.73%—
2012—+14.32%—
2011—+6.28%—
2010—+20.50%—
2009—+12.59%—
2008—-46.35%—
2007—+16.77%—
2006—+4.58%—
2005—-2.05%—

QQQM vs SPHQ in plain words

QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while SPHQ follows the S&P 500 Quality Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. Both funds charge 0.15% a year in running costs.

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 SPHQ 3 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $19,060 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.

Fund facts: QQQM vs SPHQ

FactQQQMSPHQ
FundInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETF
TracksNasdaq-100 IndexS&P 500 Quality Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.15%0.15%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched13 Oct 20206 Dec 2005
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in QQQM becameWhat $10,000 in SPHQ became

How bumpy the ride was: QQQM vs SPHQ

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 SPHQ: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 16.3% for SPHQ, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and SPHQ on 26.9%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and SPHQ -5.90%.

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; SPHQ fell -25.04% from its peak on 4 Jan 2022 to a low on 30 Sept 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 31 Jul 2023, 10 months after the low.

Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.88, and they closed in opposite directions on 18.9% of the 1,501 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Apr 2025, when QQQM moved +11.74% and SPHQ +8.25%.

MeasureQQQMSPHQ
Annualised volatility22.2%16.3%
Worst day-6.11% on 4 Apr 2025-5.90% on 4 Apr 2025
Best day+11.74% on 9 Apr 2025+8.25% on 9 Apr 2025
Days moving 1% or more40.3% of days26.9% of days
Deepest drawdown-35.04%-25.04%
Peak to trough19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 20224 Jan 2022 → 30 Sept 2022
Back above the old peak12 Dec 2023 · 13 months31 Jul 2023 · 10 months

Years QQQM and SPHQ parted ways

In 4 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 SPHQ +24.83%, a gap of 30.2 points. They rose together in 5 years and fell together in 1 year.

YearQQQMSPHQGap (QQQM − SPHQ)
2025+20.85%+13.25%+7.6 pts
2023+55.01%+24.83%+30.2 pts
2022-32.52%-15.76%-16.8 pts
2020+6.67%+16.93%-10.3 pts

How often QQQM beat SPHQ over any 12 months

Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, QQQM finished ahead in 61.7% of them (37) and SPHQ in 38.3% (23).

12-month windows
60
month-end to month-end, overlapping
QQQM ahead
61.7%
37 of 60 windows
SPHQ ahead
38.3%
23 of 60 windows

$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 $17,591 in SPHQ, leaving QQQM $2,108 ahead.

OutcomeQQQMSPHQ
Paid in$12,000$12,000
Value at the end of 2025$19,699$17,591
Gain on the money paid in+$7,699+$5,591
Gain in %+64.16%+46.59%

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 SPHQ better?

Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 4 times and SPHQ 3 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $19,060 in SPHQ 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 SPHQ?

QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while SPHQ follows the S&P 500 Quality Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. Both funds charge 0.15% a year in running costs. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.

Which is more volatile, QQQM or SPHQ?

QQQM swung more than SPHQ: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 16.3% for SPHQ, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and SPHQ on 26.9%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and SPHQ -5.90%.

Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQM or SPHQ?

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; SPHQ fell -25.04% from its peak on 4 Jan 2022 to a low on 30 Sept 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 31 Jul 2023, 10 months after the low.

How often did QQQM beat SPHQ 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 61.7% of them (37) and SPHQ in 38.3% (23).

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.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring QQQM or SPHQ.

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.