ETF Versus

GLD vs QQQM

SPDR Gold Shares vs Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-15

GLD SPDR

SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to gold securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.40%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $161.0B ER: 0.40% Yield: N/A Since: Nov 18, 2004
QQQM Invesco

Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Invesco that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.15%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.49%. Launched in 2020, the fund has a 6-year track record.

AUM: $74.7B ER: 0.15% Yield: 0.49% Since: Oct 13, 2020

Quick Verdict

QQQM is significantly cheaper at 0.15% vs 0.40% expense ratio, saving you approximately $488 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, GLD has significantly outperformed with a 49.5% return vs 37.2%.

Key Metrics

Metric GLD QQQM
Expense Ratio 0.40% 0.15%
Dividend Yield N/A 0.5%
Fund Family SPDR Invesco
Category Gold US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 120 165 210 255 300 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
GLD +169.2%
QQQM +84.4%

Performance Comparison

Period GLD QQQM Difference
1 Month -3.33% +4.70% -8.03%
3 Months +5.14% +1.09% +4.05%
6 Months +14.42% +4.09% +10.33%
YTD +11.75% +2.51% +9.24%
1 Year +49.47% +37.23% +12.24%
3 Years +139.90% +97.33% +42.57%
5 Years +167.56% +84.07% +83.49%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period GLD Fees QQQM Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $786 $298 $488
$10,000 20 years $3,334 $1,278 $2,056
$10,000 30 years $10,601 $4,109 $6,491
$50,000 10 years $3,932 $1,490 $2,442
$50,000 30 years $53,003 $20,547 $32,456
$100,000 30 years $106,005 $41,094 $64,911

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric GLD QQQM
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 22.3%
Max Drawdown -21.0% -35.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.96 0.46

Dividend Comparison

Metric GLD QQQM
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.00 $1.27
Dividend Yield 0.00% 0.49%
Distribution Frequency None Quarterly

Top Holdings

QQQM Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA8.85%
Apple Inc.AAPL7.39%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT5.32%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.94%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.59%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO3.40%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.36%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG3.32%
Walmart Inc.WMT3.30%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose QQQM if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose GLD if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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