ETF Versus

QQQ vs QYLD

Invesco QQQ Trust vs Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

QQQ Invesco

Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) 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 moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.48%. Launched in 1999, the fund has a 27-year track record.

AUM: $363.1B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.48% Since: Mar 10, 1999

Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF (QYLD) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us covered call securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.60%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 11.85%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $7.9B ER: 0.60% Yield: 11.85% Since: Dec 12, 2013

Quick Verdict

QQQ is significantly cheaper at 0.18% vs 0.60% expense ratio, saving you approximately $813 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, QQQ has significantly outperformed with a 23.6% return vs 3.2%. Income investors may prefer QYLD for its higher yield (11.8% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric QQQ QYLD
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.60%
Dividend Yield 0.5% 11.8%
Fund Family Invesco N/A
Category US Large Cap Growth US Covered Call

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 91 117 143 169 195 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
QQQ +76.5%
QYLD -24.1%

Performance Comparison

Period QQQ QYLD Difference
1 Month -3.91% -2.10% -1.81%
3 Months -4.70% -2.43% -2.27%
6 Months -3.13% +1.05% -4.18%
YTD -4.70% -2.43% -2.27%
1 Year +23.61% +3.17% +20.44%
3 Years +82.51% +0.41% +82.10%
5 Years +76.50% -24.14% +100.64%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period QQQ Fees QYLD Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $1.170 $813
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $4.914 $3.385
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $15.488 $10.576
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $5.849 $4.064
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $77.438 $52.880
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $154.876 $105.760

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric QQQ QYLD
Annualized Volatility 22.4% 15.2%
Max Drawdown -35.6% -35.3%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 -0.59

Dividend Comparison

Metric QQQ QYLD
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.81 $2.05
Dividend Yield 0.48% 11.86%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Monthly

Top Holdings

9 of top 9 holdings overlap (100% overlap in top holdings)

QQQ Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA8.55%
Apple Inc.AAPL7.67%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT5.56%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.49%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.79%
Walmart Inc.WMT3.48%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.26%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG3.13%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.99%

QYLD Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA8.56%
Apple Inc.AAPL7.73%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT5.69%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.60%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.78%
Walmart Inc.WMT3.56%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.38%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG3.17%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.97%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose QQQ if...

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

Choose QQQ if...

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

Choose QYLD if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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