Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
VOOG vs QQQ
Vanguard S&P 500 Growth 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 1,000-trading-day period: $1,000 invested on October 28, 2022 grew to $2,565, versus $2,301 for VOOG. QQQ’s total return was 156.5%, compared with 130.1% for VOOG, a meaningful difference despite their very high 0.970 daily-move correlation. QQQ also led over the latest three months, six months, YTD, and one year, while VOOG led over three years. The trade-off was higher risk and cost: QQQ’s 12-month volatility was 20.0% versus 18.3% for VOOG, its worst drawdown was -22.8% versus -22.2%, and its expense ratio was 0.20% versus 0.07%. QQQ’s stronger result reflects greater exposure to the growth stocks driving Nasdaq-100 performance, while VOOG provided slightly lower volatility, lower cost, and a somewhat milder drawdown.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($79); 50-day at $85.
- RSI 35, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 23, so the trend is developing.
- 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, VOOG or QQQ?
VOOG beat QQQ in 24 of the last 48 months; QQQ won the other 24. The typical monthly gap was 0.75 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
Both: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.970
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.90
- VOOG move per 1% in QQQ
- 0.961
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.75 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | VOOG | QQQ | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | +2.6% | +7.9% | -5.26 pts |
| January 2023 | +5.6% | +10.7% | -5.01 pts |
| July 2026 | -1.6% | -6.6% | +4.97 pts |
| March 2023 | +5.9% | +9.5% | -3.57 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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