Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
VUG vs QQQ
Vanguard Morningstar 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 period: $1,000 invested on October 28, 2022 grew to $2,565 versus $2,361 for VUG, a difference of $204, or 20.4 percentage points in ending value. QQQ also led over three years (+97.2% versus +91.2%), one year (+16.9% versus +8.7%), and YTD (+15.1% versus +7.0%). The trade-off was higher risk: QQQ’s 12-month volatility was 20.0% versus 18.0% for VUG, while both suffered the same worst drawdown of -22.8%. QQQ’s expense ratio was also higher at 0.20% versus 0.03%. The funds were highly correlated, at 0.976 over the full comparison and 0.937 over the last 12 months, so QQQ’s advantage came from stronger performance rather than meaningful diversification.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($84); 50-day at $89.
- RSI 37, 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, VUG or QQQ?
VUG beat QQQ in 21 of the last 48 months; QQQ won the other 27. The typical monthly gap was 0.62 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
Both: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.976
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.94
- VUG move per 1% in QQQ
- 0.937
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.62 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | VUG | QQQ | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | -1.1% | -6.6% | +5.49 pts |
| June 2026 | -3.8% | -0.1% | -3.62 pts |
| May 2026 | +7.7% | +10.6% | -2.83 pts |
| May 2023 | +5.2% | +7.9% | -2.72 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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