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 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. TQQQ has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+127.20% vs +40.68% 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 score | 33.2 | 84.0 |
| Latest close | $82.87 | $740.62 |
| 1M return | +13.63% | +5.57% |
| 6M return | +68.29% | +23.67% |
| 1Y return | +127.20% | +40.68% |
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 | $22.88K (+128.8%) started 2025-06-18 | $14.14K (+41.4%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $32.98K (+229.8%) started 2021-06-18 | $22.96K (+129.6%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $455.99K (+4459.9%) started 2016-06-20 | $79.38K (+693.8%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.82% | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM) | $39.77B | $493.99B |
| Dividend yield | 0.37% | 0.38% |
| Trailing P/E | 42.48 | 34.00 |
| Beta | 3.71 | 1.23 |
| 52-week change | 127.20% | 40.68% |
| Metric | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y return | +127.20% | +40.68% |
| 6M return | +68.29% | +23.67% |
| 1M return | +13.63% | +5.57% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 1.75 | 1.78 |
| Beta | 3.71 | 1.23 |
| Dividend yield | 0.37% | 0.38% |
| 5Y CAGR | +25.75% | +17.37% |
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 | Growth | +127.20% | +40.68% |
| CAGR | +127.32% | +40.72% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.75 | 1.78 | |
| Max drawdown | 36.97% | 11.96% | |
| Max daily drop | 14.28% | 4.80% | |
| Max wkly drop | 19.97% | 6.79% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +214.39% | +122.74% |
| CAGR | +25.75% | +17.37% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.61 | 0.63 | |
| Max drawdown | 81.66% | 35.12% | |
| Max daily drop | 18.31% | 6.21% | |
| Max wkly drop | 33.64% | 11.98% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +4238.09% | +639.84% |
| CAGR | +45.83% | +22.17% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.84 | 0.81 | |
| Max drawdown | 81.66% | 35.12% | |
| Max daily drop | 34.47% | 11.98% | |
| Max wkly drop | 44.80% | 16.20% |
| Category | TQQQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | ProShares UltraPro QQQ | Invesco QQQ Trust |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratio | 0.82% | 0.18% |
| Total assets (AUM) | $39.77B | $493.99B |
| Dividend yield | 0.37% | 0.38% |
- →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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