Data as of Sep 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
BAI vs QQQ
iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust.
| BAI iShares A.I. Innovation and Tech Active ETF | QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Themes desk | Core fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Invesco |
| What it is | Artificial intelligence | Nasdaq-100, book from QQQM |
| Total return, 1 year | +43.1% | +25.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +20.0% | +20.0% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +23.1 pts | +5.6 pts |
| Expense ratio | not published | 0.18% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 50.0% | 96.7% |
| Holdings | 45 | 101 |
BAI in plain words
By weight, 50% of BAI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 78%. The top ten holdings are 44% of the fund across 45 positions, as filed for Apr 30, 2026. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 the fund returned +43.1% with distributions reinvested against +20.0% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 23.1 pts. It sits 17.8% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.
QQQ in plain words
QQQ is a index equity fund tracking Nasdaq-100, book from QQQM. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +25.6% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 101 positions, with the top ten at 47.5%. It sat 3.5% below its high of Jun 2, 2026 on Sep 4, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BAI or QQQ?
- In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BAI returned +43.1% and QQQ returned +25.6%, so BAI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- How much do BAI and QQQ overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 50% of BAI and 97% of QQQ by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
- Are BAI and QQQ the same kind of fund?
- No. BAI is a thematic ETF and QQQ is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Cite this page. ETFIQ, BAI against QQQ, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/BAI-QQQ.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. ETFIQ publishes the same fields for every fund and suggests no allocation. Standards and sources