Everything you need to know about the Nasdaq 100 ETF — holdings, performance, QQQ vs SPY, expense ratio, and whether QQQ belongs in your portfolio.
The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ: QQQ) is one of the world's most popular ETFs, tracking the Nasdaq-100 Index. Launched in 1999, QQQ gives investors concentrated exposure to the largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq — predominantly technology, communication, and consumer discretionary giants.
With over $310 billion in AUM, QQQ is the second-largest ETF in the United States. Its low expense ratio of 0.20% and extremely tight bid-ask spreads make it a favorite among both institutional and retail investors looking for Nasdaq 100 ETF exposure.
See how your investment in QQQ could grow over time based on its historical annualized return of approximately 14% since inception. Adjust your initial investment, monthly contribution, and time horizon.
This chart shows the growth of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in QQQ from its March 1999 inception through early 2026 — capturing the dot-com crash, the 2008 financial crisis, the COVID recovery, and the AI boom.
Despite the devastating dot-com bust (QQQ lost ~80% from peak to trough), an investor who held from 1999 would have seen their $10,000 grow to approximately $100,000+ by 2026. Patience and time in the market proved essential.
How does QQQ stack up against the S&P 500 (SPY) and Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT)? Here's a detailed comparison of these three popular ETFs.
| Metric | QQQ | SPY | VGT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 | S&P 500 | MSCI US IMI Info Tech |
| Expense Ratio | 0.20% | 0.0945% | 0.10% |
| AUM | ~$310B | ~$560B | ~$75B |
| Focus | Top 100 Nasdaq (ex-financials) | Broad US large-cap | US info technology sector |
| Dividend Yield | ~0.55% | ~1.3% | ~0.6% |
| 5-Year Return | ~140% | ~85% | ~155% |
| 10-Year Return | ~430% | ~220% | ~500% |
| Number of Holdings | 101 | 503 | 316 |
Key takeaway: QQQ sits between SPY and VGT in terms of tech concentration. SPY offers broad diversification, VGT is a pure tech play, and QQQ blends heavy tech exposure with consumer discretionary and communication services stocks.
QQQ's year-by-year performance shows the potential for outsized gains — and painful drawdowns. The fund posted nearly 55% in 2023 during the AI-driven rally, but lost over 32% in 2022 during the rate-hiking cycle.
These 10 companies make up approximately 50% of QQQ's total portfolio. The fund is heavily weighted toward mega-cap technology and communication stocks.
QQQ's sector breakdown reveals its heavy technology tilt. Understanding this allocation is critical for managing your overall portfolio balance.
While QQQ's concentration in mega-cap tech has fueled impressive returns, it also creates meaningful concentration risk that every investor should understand before allocating heavily to this fund.
QQQ's top 10 holdings represent approximately 50% of the entire fund. This means half of your investment is riding on just 10 stocks. If Apple, Microsoft, and NVIDIA were to face simultaneous headwinds — regulatory action, earnings misses, or a sector rotation — QQQ would feel the impact disproportionately.
With roughly 60% in technology and another 15% in communication services (which includes Meta and Alphabet), QQQ is essentially a leveraged bet on the tech sector. In 2022, when the Fed aggressively hiked rates, QQQ dropped 32.6% — nearly double the S&P 500's decline. Investors in QQQ must have the stomach for these drawdowns.
QQQ completely excludes financial companies and underrepresents energy, utilities, and materials. This isn't necessarily bad, but it means QQQ alone is not a diversified portfolio. Pairing it with value-oriented or sector-balanced ETFs can help reduce overall risk.
The Invesco QQQ Trust (ticker: QQQ) is an exchange-traded fund that tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index, which includes the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange. It is one of the most traded ETFs in the world with over $310 billion in assets under management.
QQQ has an expense ratio of 0.20%, which means you pay $20 annually for every $10,000 invested. While not the cheapest Nasdaq-100 ETF available (QQQM charges 0.15%), it remains competitive given its exceptional liquidity and tight bid-ask spreads.
QQQ and SPY serve different purposes. QQQ is concentrated in tech and growth stocks (Nasdaq-100), while SPY tracks the broader S&P 500 across all sectors. QQQ has historically delivered higher returns but with greater volatility. Many investors hold both for diversified exposure.
As of early 2026, QQQ's top 10 holdings are Apple (~8.9%), Microsoft (~8.1%), NVIDIA (~7.5%), Amazon (~5.4%), Meta (~5.0%), Broadcom (~4.2%), Alphabet (~3.8%), Costco (~2.8%), Tesla (~2.7%), and Netflix (~2.4%). Together they represent roughly 50% of the fund.
Since its inception in 1999, QQQ has delivered an annualized return of approximately 14%, though this includes the dot-com crash of 2000-2002. Over the last 10 years (2016-2025), QQQ has returned roughly 18% annualized, significantly outperforming the S&P 500.