QQQ 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.
QQQtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
SPHQtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexSPHQ tracks the S&P 500 Quality 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 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.
| Year | QQQ | SPHQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.16% | +20.79% | SPHQ |
| 2025 | +20.77% | +13.25% | QQQ |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +25.44% | QQQ |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +24.83% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -15.76% | SPHQ |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +27.59% | SPHQ |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +16.93% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +33.63% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -7.09% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +19.10% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +7.10% | +14.30% | SPHQ |
| 2015 | +9.44% | +1.64% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +16.08% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +32.73% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +18.11% | +14.32% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +3.48% | +6.28% | SPHQ |
| 2010 | +20.14% | +20.50% | SPHQ |
| 2009 | +54.68% | +12.59% | QQQ |
| 2008 | -41.73% | -46.35% | QQQ |
| 2007 | +19.03% | +16.77% | QQQ |
| 2006 | +7.14% | +4.58% | QQQ |
| 2005 | +1.57% | -2.05% | QQQ |
| 2004 | +10.54% | — | — |
| 2003 | +49.67% | — | — |
| 2002 | -37.37% | — | — |
| 2001 | -33.34% | — | — |
| 2000 | -36.11% | — | — |
| 1999 | +78.95% | — | — |
QQQ vs SPHQ in plain words
QQQ 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. QQQ charges 0.18% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SPHQ is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 16 times and SPHQ 6 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $37,666 in SPHQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQ vs SPHQ
| Fact | QQQ | SPHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco QQQ Trust | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | S&P 500 Quality Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.18% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Mar 1999 | 6 Dec 2005 |
Frequently asked
Is QQQ or SPHQ better?
Across the 22 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 16 times and SPHQ 6 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $37,666 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 QQQ and SPHQ?
QQQ 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. QQQ charges 0.18% a year in running costs and SPHQ charges 0.15% — SPHQ is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
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.