SQQQ vs SPXU Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
SQQQ and SPXU sit in related but distinct corners of the ETF landscape — SQQQ centers on amplified, -3x-leveraged daily bet against the Nasdaq-100, while SPXU focuses on amplified, -3x-leveraged daily bet against the S&P 500. Investors choosing between them should weigh how each fund's strategy lines up with their own goals rather than assuming they're interchangeable.
Choosing between SQQQ and SPXU comes down to which specific exposure — amplified, -3x-leveraged daily bet against the Nasdaq-100 or amplified, -3x-leveraged daily bet against the S&P 500 — better matches the role you want this holding to play in a diversified portfolio.
SQQQ holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. SPXU has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-34.83% vs -48.83% for SQQQ).
- want amplified, -3x-leveraged daily bet against the Nasdaq-100
- prefer ProShares's approach and fund lineup
- value powerful short-term hedging tool against a Nasdaq-100 decline
- are comfortable with daily leverage reset causes severe compounding decay over any extended holding period
- want amplified, -3x-leveraged daily bet against the S&P 500
- prefer ProShares's approach and fund lineup
- value powerful short-term hedging tool against a broad market decline
- are comfortable with daily leverage reset causes severe compounding decay over any extended holding period
| Metric | SQQQ | SPXU |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 20.5 | 20.8 |
| Latest closei | $36.14 | $33.71 |
| 1M returni | -9.77% | -5.49% |
| 3M returni | -10.36% | -6.91% |
| 6M returni | -36.46% | -23.70% |
| 1Y returni | -48.83% | -34.83% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | SQQQ | SPXU |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $5.44K (-45.6%) started 2025-10-15 | $6.85K (-31.5%) started 2025-10-15 |
| 5Y ago | $621.18 (-93.8%) started 2021-10-15 | $1.73K (-82.7%) started 2021-10-15 |
| 10Y ago | $4.76 (-100.0%) started 2016-10-17 | $59.85 (-99.4%) started 2016-10-17 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | SQQQ | SPXU |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.94% | 0.90% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $2.11B | $429.68M |
| Dividend yieldi | 9.45% | 6.25% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | -3.47 | -2.88 |
| 52-week change | -48.83% | -34.83% |
| Metric | SQQQ | SPXU |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | -48.83% | -34.83% |
| 6M returni | -36.46% | -23.70% |
| 3M returni | -10.36% | -6.91% |
| 1M returni | -9.77% | -5.49% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | -0.93 | -1.07 |
| Betai | -3.47 | -2.88 |
| Dividend yieldi | 9.45% | 6.25% |
| 5Y CAGR | -45.68% | -32.96% |
Over the past year, SQQQ and SPXU have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.93), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | SQQQ | SPXU |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | -48.83% | -34.83% |
| CAGRi | -48.86% | -34.85% | |
| Volatilityi | 58.63% | 37.78% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.93 | -1.07 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -1.26 | -1.45 | |
| Max drawdowni | 63.32% | 46.26% | |
| Current drawdowni | 58.35% | 44.51% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 33.03% | 25.43% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 39.72% | 29.79% | |
| Max daily dropi | 10.07% | 8.57% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 22.55% | 15.03% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | -95.27% | -86.46% |
| CAGRi | -45.68% | -32.96% | |
| Volatilityi | 68.36% | 50.53% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.61 | -0.63 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -0.85 | -0.87 | |
| Max drawdowni | 97.54% | 90.93% | |
| Current drawdowni | 97.21% | 90.64% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 67.48% | 57.24% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 74.15% | 63.78% | |
| Max daily dropi | 35.28% | 28.01% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 33.28% | 26.40% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | -99.97% | -99.55% |
| CAGRi | -54.99% | -41.81% | |
| Volatilityi | 66.94% | 53.40% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | -0.92 | -0.83 | |
| Sortino ratioi | -1.29 | -1.18 | |
| Max drawdowni | 99.97% | 99.59% | |
| Current drawdowni | 99.97% | 99.58% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 88.16% | 82.88% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 90.46% | 85.81% | |
| Max daily dropi | 35.28% | 28.01% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 35.23% | 44.28% |
| Category | SQQQ | SPXU |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | ProShares UltraPro Short QQQ | ProShares UltraPro Short S&P500 |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.94% | 0.90% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $2.11B | $429.68M |
| Dividend yieldi | 9.45% | 6.25% |
- Powerful short-term hedging tool against a Nasdaq-100 decline
- Highly liquid among leveraged inverse ETFs
- Can generate outsized gains during sharp, fast tech sell-offs
- Powerful short-term hedging tool against a broad market decline
- Highly liquid among leveraged inverse equity ETFs
- Can generate outsized gains during sharp, fast market sell-offs
- Daily leverage reset causes severe compounding decay over any extended holding period
- Extremely risky and unsuitable for buy-and-hold investors
- Can lose the large majority of its value even if the Nasdaq-100 is flat over time
- Daily leverage reset causes severe compounding decay over any extended holding period
- Extremely risky and unsuitable for buy-and-hold investors
- Can lose the large majority of its value even if the S&P 500 is flat over time
Compare more than two at a time
This page is a fixed writeup on SQQQ and SPXU. Our comparison engine is the interactive version: load up to five tickers, switch timeframes, and get the correlation, drawdown, and overlap analysis that a static page can't show.
Add three more names beside SQQQ and SPXU, mixing stocks and ETFs in the same table — useful when the real question is which of a whole peer group to own.
AI score, forward P/E, analyst target upside, operating margin, and revenue growth are scored head-to-head, with a running tally of which ticker leads on how many metrics.
Volatility, Sharpe and Sortino ratios, maximum, current, and average drawdown, Ulcer Index, and worst single-day and single-week drops across every timeframe.
Pairwise daily-return correlation for every combination, so you can see whether two holdings actually diversify each other or just move together.
A scatter plot of forward P/E against return on equity, plus drawdown and 30-day rolling volatility charts, to separate what is cheap from what is merely beaten down.
For ETFs, a top-holdings comparison that exposes hidden overlap between funds. Every comparison exports to CSV for your own spreadsheet work.
Two comparisons a week are free without an account. A 14-day trial removes the limit and adds AI price forecasts, stock rankings, saved watchlists, and the intrinsic value calculator — no credit card required.
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.