Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
IYW vs QQQ
iShares U.S. Technology ETF against Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
IYW clearly outperformed QQQ over the period: $1,000 invested on October 28, 2022 grew to $3,262 versus $2,565, a 226.2% gain versus 156.5%. IYW also led over 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, YTD, 1 year, and 3 years, benefiting from its stronger technology concentration and higher sensitivity to QQQ’s moves—1.16% for each 1% move in QQQ. The trade-off was higher risk: 24.5% versus 20.0% volatility and a worst drawdown of 26.5% versus 22.8%. QQQ had the lower expense ratio, 0.20% versus 0.38%, and broader assets of $475B versus $24B. Their 0.981 correlation shows they remained highly similar investments, but IYW delivered substantially higher returns with greater volatility and downside.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($228); 50-day at $257.
- RSI 38, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 25, so the trend is strong.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($676); 50-day at $725.
- RSI 37, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 25, so the trend is developing.
Head to head
Which has returned more, IYW or QQQ?
IYW beat QQQ in 30 of the last 48 months; QQQ won the other 18. The typical monthly gap was 0.99 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
IYW: Feb 18, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025; QQQ: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.981
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 1.16
- IYW move per 1% in QQQ
- 0.976
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.99 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | IYW | QQQ | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | +16.0% | +10.6% | +5.39 pts |
| April 2026 | +20.2% | +15.7% | +4.53 pts |
| June 2025 | +9.6% | +6.4% | +3.16 pts |
| May 2023 | +10.8% | +7.9% | +2.92 pts |
Where the numbers come from. 1000 daily adjusted closes per fund from the Kavout market-data API, dividends included. Signals and indicators are Kavout’s own, refreshed nightly. Every figure is calculated from those adjusted closes.
Holdings and fees
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