TQQQ vs QQQ Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
TQQQ and QQQ are fundamentally different products despite tracking the same Nasdaq-100 index. QQQ is a standard ETF appropriate for long-term investing. TQQQ is a short-term tactical instrument — a 3x daily leveraged ETF explicitly not designed for long-term holding due to volatility decay. This is not a comparison of two investment strategies — it's a comparison between investing and speculative trading.
TQQQ vs QQQ is not a conventional investment comparison — QQQ is a long-term equity investment; TQQQ is a short-term trading instrument with compounding leverage that is mathematically designed to diverge from 3x QQQ's long-term return, producing catastrophic losses in bear markets and significant drag in volatile markets even if the index ends flat.
QQQ holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. TQQQ has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+12.90% vs +12.27% for QQQ).
- use TQQQ specifically for SHORT-TERM tactical positions (days to weeks, not years) during confirmed Nasdaq-100 uptrends
- understand volatility decay and daily rebalancing mechanics — TQQQ is designed for daily return amplification, not multi-year holding
- have high risk tolerance and accept that TQQQ can lose 80%+ in a technology bear market before recovering
- are comfortable with 0.88% expense ratio as a cost of tactical leverage without margin account requirements
- prefer technology sector concentration in the Nasdaq-100's top 100 non-financial companies as a long-term core holding
- value QQQ's 15-year track record of exceptional performance from mega-cap technology compounding over time
- want the deepest ETF options market for hedging or income strategies on a technology ETF position
- are comfortable with higher technology concentration (no financials, Apple/Microsoft 40%+ weight) and 0.20% expense ratio
| Metric | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 32.4 | 29.2 |
| Latest closei | $62.24 | $691.95 |
| 1M returni | -25.12% | -8.50% |
| 3M returni | -14.39% | -3.43% |
| 6M returni | -12.67% | -0.34% |
| 1Y returni | +12.90% | +12.27% |
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 | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.38K (+13.8%) started 2025-11-04 | $11.28K (+12.8%) started 2025-11-04 |
| 5Y ago | $16.17K (+61.7%) started 2021-11-05 | $18.43K (+84.3%) started 2021-11-05 |
| 10Y ago | $276.05K (+2660.5%) started 2016-11-07 | $68.25K (+582.5%) started 2016-11-07 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.78% | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $32.06B | $463.83B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.78% | 0.45% |
| Trailing P/Ei | 28.57 | 28.50 |
| Betai | 3.81 | 1.26 |
| 52-week change | 12.90% | 12.27% |
| Metric | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +12.90% | +12.27% |
| 6M returni | -12.67% | -0.34% |
| 3M returni | -14.39% | -3.43% |
| 1M returni | -25.12% | -8.50% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 0.43 | 0.45 |
| Betai | 3.81 | 1.26 |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.78% | 0.45% |
| 5Y CAGR | +8.95% | +12.34% |
Over the past year, TQQQ and QQQ have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 1.00), 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 | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +12.90% | +12.27% |
| CAGRi | +12.91% | +12.27% | |
| Volatilityi | 60.03% | 20.20% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.43 | 0.45 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.61 | 0.64 | |
| Max drawdowni | 33.64% | 11.72% | |
| Current drawdowni | 28.34% | 8.91% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 11.36% | 3.13% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 14.05% | 4.10% | |
| Max daily dropi | 14.28% | 4.80% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 19.97% | 6.79% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +53.47% | +78.86% |
| CAGRi | +8.95% | +12.34% | |
| Volatilityi | 68.67% | 23.10% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.40 | 0.43 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.57 | 0.61 | |
| Max drawdowni | 81.66% | 35.12% | |
| Current drawdowni | 28.34% | 8.91% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 34.36% | 9.24% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 42.47% | 13.61% | |
| Max daily dropi | 18.31% | 6.21% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 33.64% | 11.98% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +2514.31% | +536.40% |
| CAGRi | +38.63% | +20.35% | |
| Volatilityi | 66.97% | 22.63% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.76 | 0.74 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.07 | 1.04 | |
| Max drawdowni | 81.66% | 35.12% | |
| Current drawdowni | 28.34% | 8.91% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 23.16% | 6.25% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 32.71% | 10.39% | |
| Max daily dropi | 34.47% | 11.98% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 44.80% | 16.20% |
| Category | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | ProShares UltraPro QQQ | Invesco QQQ Trust |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.78% | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $32.06B | $463.83B |
| Dividend yieldi | 0.78% | 0.45% |
- Extraordinary short-term upside in strong trending markets — in a 1-month technology rally, TQQQ can triple the Nasdaq-100's return
- Liquid ETF for expressing short-term Nasdaq-100 conviction without using options or margin accounts
- Low entry barrier — single ETF shares provide leveraged exposure without borrowing requirements or options expertise
- 15-year track record of exceptional performance driven by mega-cap technology compounding
- Deep liquidity, the most active options market of any ETF, and straightforward buy-and-hold mechanics
- Simple 1x exposure to Nasdaq-100 without leverage risk, volatility decay, or daily rebalancing complexity
- Volatility decay destroys value in range-bound or volatile markets — two 10% QQQ moves (up then down to same level) result in TQQQ losing more than QQQ
- Long bear markets are catastrophic for TQQQ — the 2022 Nasdaq-100 drawdown of 35% produced an 80%+ loss in TQQQ
- 0.88% expense ratio is 4x higher than QQQ's 0.20% and compounds rapidly against leveraged ETF investors over long periods
- 0.20% expense ratio is higher than S&P 500 ETFs (VOO 0.03%) — technology sector concentration costs extra in management fees
- Technology concentration means QQQ underperforms in rate-rising or value rotation markets
- Past technology outperformance is not guaranteed to persist — if AI revolution benefits are non-tech sectors, QQQ's sector concentration could underperform
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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.
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