Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
CTA vs QUAL: how they differ
CTA and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and CTA returned more over the year.
Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, CTA and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in CTA | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| SIMPLIFY EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 81.69% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.72% | APPLE INC. 6.28% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.44% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.76% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.75% | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 2.20% | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.37% | VISA INC. 3.09% |
| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 1.07% | ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
| CTA Simplify Managed Futures Strategy ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Simplify | iShares |
| What it is | Simplify Managed Futures Strategy | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.0% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −0.5 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.75% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 10 | 121 |
CTA in plain words
CTA is an index equity fund tracking the Simplify Managed Futures Strategy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.75% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10 positions, with the top ten at 100.0%. It sat 5.3% below its high of May 4, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, CTA or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, CTA returned +17.0% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so CTA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, CTA or QUAL?
- CTA charges 0.75% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do CTA and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of CTA and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, CTA against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/CTA-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources