Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DIA vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DIA returned +11.6% to QQQ's +15.2%; 22% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $45.9bn for SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust and $483.0bn for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1.
Pair scorecard
DIA costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.6 points; QQQ is 10.5 times larger.
| Measure | DIA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.6% | +15.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.0%, high on Aug 5, 2026 | 4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones Industrial Average | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.16% | 0.18% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $45.9bn | $483.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 22% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 54.7% | 46.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Mar 19, 1999 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,440 weekly returnsQQQ returned more: +1,532.3% to +843.5%. DIA swung less: 17.2% to 24.3%. DIA fell less at its worst: −50.9% to −82.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DIA | QQQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +843.5% | +1,532.3% | QQQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.4% | +10.6% | QQQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +429.0% | +1,275.8% | QQQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.2% | 24.3% | DIA | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.3% | 17.0% | DIA | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −50.9% | −82.7% | DIA | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.46 | 0.46 | QQQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.64 | 0.66 | QQQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.17 | 0.13 | DIA | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,440 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DIA and QQQ hold 22% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
22% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DIA and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DIA and QQQ do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. DIA follows Dow Jones Industrial Average and QQQ follows Nasdaq-100 Index.
- Holdings in common. 22% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DIA returned +11.6% and QQQ +15.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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DIA
DIA tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +11.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 30 positions, with the top ten at 54.7%. It sat 3.0% below its high of Aug 5, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
QQQ
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +15.2% for its benchmark, the Nasdaq-100 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 103 positions, with the top ten at 46.7%. It sat 4.5% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DIA or QQQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DIA returned +11.6% and QQQ +15.2%.
- Which is cheaper, DIA or QQQ?
- DIA is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, DIA against QQQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-qqq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DIA against QQQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-qqq
[DIA against QQQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-qqq)
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