Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
SCHD vs QQQ
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF against Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
QQQ did better over the period: $1,000 invested on October 28, 2022 grew to $2,565, compared with $1,649 for SCHD. QQQ’s 3-year total return was also higher at 97.2% versus 67.2%, reflecting stronger growth exposure. However, QQQ carried substantially more risk: 20.0% 12-month volatility and a worst drawdown of -22.8%, compared with SCHD’s 11.3% volatility and -16.1% drawdown. SCHD’s lower 0.06% expense ratio versus QQQ’s 0.20% and lower volatility may appeal to investors prioritizing cost and smoother performance, while QQQ delivered the stronger return despite its higher risk. Their 0.471 correlation indicates meaningful but incomplete overlap; the last-12-month correlation was -0.024, suggesting diversification benefits can vary over time. QQQ won 28 of the last 48 months, while SCHD won 20.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($32); 50-day at $34.
- RSI 73, overbought. Supertrend says buy. ADX 33, 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, SCHD or QQQ?
SCHD beat QQQ in 20 of the last 48 months; QQQ won the other 28. The typical monthly gap was 4.11 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
SCHD: Nov 29, 2024 to Apr 8, 2025; QQQ: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.471
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.30
- SCHD move per 1% in QQQ
- -0.024
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 4.11 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | SCHD | QQQ | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | +8.4% | -4.8% | +13.20 pts |
| July 2026 | +5.5% | -6.6% | +12.10 pts |
| May 2023 | -4.1% | +7.9% | -11.97 pts |
| April 2026 | +4.5% | +15.7% | -11.15 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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