Which returned more over the last year, MSTY or QQQ?

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MSTY returned −50.8% and QQQ returned +25.6%, so QQQ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Are MSTY and QQQ the same kind of fund?

No. MSTY is an option-income 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.

Data as of Sep 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

MSTY vs QQQ

Name: ETFIQ comparison of MSTY and QQQ
Creator: ETFIQ
License: https://etfiq.com/standards/

YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust.

MSTY and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	MSTY YieldMax(R) MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF	QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust
Where it sits	Income desk	Core fund
Issuer	YieldMax	Invesco
What it is	synthetic covered call, vs MSTR	Nasdaq-100, book from QQQM
Total return, 1 year	−50.8%	+25.6%
S&P 500 over the same days	−56.4%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	+5.7 pts	+5.6 pts
Cash paid, 1 year	35.0%	not an income fund
Expense ratio	not published	0.18%
Holdings	n/a	101

MSTY in plain words

Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, MSTY paid 35.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 79.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −50.8%. MicroStrategy (MSTR) returned −56.4% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.7 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 68.2%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 4, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).

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, MSTY or QQQ?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MSTY returned −50.8% and QQQ returned +25.6%, so QQQ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Are MSTY and QQQ the same kind of fund?: No. MSTY is an option-income 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, MSTY against QQQ, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/MSTY-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