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

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QQQ returned +25.6% and SMH returned +96.2%, so SMH returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, QQQ or SMH?

QQQ charges 0.18% a year and SMH charges 0.35%, so QQQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do QQQ and SMH overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 97% of QQQ and 82% of SMH by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Are QQQ and SMH the same kind of fund?

No. QQQ is an index ETF and SMH is a thematic 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.

QQQ vs SMH

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

Invesco QQQ Trust and VanEck Semiconductor ETF.

QQQ and SMH on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust	SMH VanEck Semiconductor ETF
Where it sits	Core fund	Themes desk
Issuer	Invesco	VanEck
What it is	Nasdaq-100, book from QQQM	Semiconductors
Total return, 1 year	+25.6%	+96.2%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	+5.6 pts	+76.3 pts
Expense ratio	0.18%	0.35%
Already in the S&P 500	96.7%	82.0%
Holdings	101	25

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.

SMH in plain words

By weight, 82% of SMH's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 81%. The top ten holdings are 70% of the fund across 25 positions, as filed for Jun 30, 2026. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 the fund returned +96.2% with distributions reinvested against +20.0% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 76.3 pts. It sits 15.2% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, QQQ or SMH?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QQQ returned +25.6% and SMH returned +96.2%, so SMH returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, QQQ or SMH?: QQQ charges 0.18% a year and SMH charges 0.35%, so QQQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do QQQ and SMH overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 97% of QQQ and 82% of SMH by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
Are QQQ and SMH the same kind of fund?: No. QQQ is an index ETF and SMH is a thematic 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, QQQ against SMH, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/QQQ-SMH.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