Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IAU vs QQQM: how they differ
IAU is a commodity fund and QQQM an equity index fund, and over the year QQQM returned more, +23.0% against +19.2%.
iShares Gold Trust and Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF.
| IAU iShares Gold Trust | QQQM Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Invesco |
| What it is | Gold | Nasdaq-100 |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +23.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.7 pts | +5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.15% |
| Holdings | not filed | 106 |
IAU in plain words
IAU is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
QQQM in plain words
QQQM 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 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 106 positions, with the top ten at 47.1%. 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, IAU or QQQM?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and QQQM returned +23.0%, so QQQM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IAU or QQQM?
- IAU charges 0.25% a year and QQQM charges 0.15%, so QQQM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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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, IAU against QQQM, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iau-vs-qqqm Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources