Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IBB vs QQQ: how they differ
IBB and QQQ hold 3% of their weight in the same names, and IBB returned more over the year.
iShares Biotechnology ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and QQQ hold 3% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | IBB | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Amgen, Inc. | 7.84% | 0.80% |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 6.85% | 0.73% |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 8.09% | 0.50% |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 4.91% | 0.28% |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 3.12% | 0.18% |
| Insmed, Inc. | 1.79% | 0.10% |
| Only in IBB | Only in QQQ |
|---|---|
| Argenx SE 3.76% | NVIDIA Corp. 8.16% |
| Natera, Inc. 2.89% | Apple Inc. 7.29% |
| Revolution Medicines, Inc. 2.78% | Microsoft Corp. 5.32% |
| Biogen, Inc. 2.47% | Micron Technology, Inc. 4.80% |
| Illumina, Inc. 2.07% | Amazon.com, Inc. 4.62% |
| Moderna, Inc. 1.99% | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 3.70% |
| BeOne Medicines Ltd. 1.77% | Alphabet Inc. 3.52% |
| Incyte Corp. 1.75% | Tesla, Inc. 3.46% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
| IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF | QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Invesco |
| What it is | Biotechnology | Nasdaq-100, book from QQQM |
| Total return, 1 year | +41.5% | +23.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +24.0 pts | +5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.18% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 35.6% | 96.7% |
| Holdings | 248 | 101 |
IBB in plain words
IBB is an index equity fund tracking the Biotechnology. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +41.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.44% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 36% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 248 positions, with the top ten at 44.8%. It sat 6.5% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
QQQ in plain words
QQQ is an index equity fund tracking the Nasdaq-100. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +23.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% 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 4.1% below its high of Jun 2, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IBB or QQQ?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +41.5% and QQQ returned +23.0%, so IBB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or QQQ?
- IBB charges 0.44% a year and QQQ charges 0.18%, so QQQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do IBB and QQQ overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 36% of IBB and 97% of QQQ by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 3% 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, IBB against QQQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IBB-QQQ Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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