Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ITA vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ITA returned −4.3% to QQQ's +15.2%, and QQQ charges 0.18% to ITA's 0.37%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $12.0bn for iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF and $483.0bn for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1.
Pair scorecard
QQQ costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 19.5 points; QQQ is far larger, $483.0bn against $12.0bn.
| Measure | ITA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −4.3% | +15.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 17.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Defense | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.18% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $12.0bn | $483.0bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 76% | 46.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 12, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,067 weekly returnsQQQ returned more: +1,950.6% to +898.4%. QQQ swung less: 20.2% to 23.3%. QQQ fell less at its worst: −51.4% to −58.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ITA | QQQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +898.4% | +1,950.6% | QQQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.9% | +15.9% | QQQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +704.3% | +1,652.7% | QQQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.3% | 20.2% | QQQ | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.2% | 13.7% | QQQ | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −58.8% | −51.4% | QQQ | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.53 | 0.75 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.75 | 1.10 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.20 | 0.31 | QQQ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,067 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ITA and QQQ hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ITA and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ITA and QQQ do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. ITA follows Defense and QQQ follows Nasdaq-100 Index.
- Holdings in common. 1% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 ITA returned −4.3% and QQQ +15.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 19.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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ITA
By weight, 81% of ITA's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 76% of the fund across 51 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −4.3% with distributions reinvested. It sits 17.9% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 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
- Are ITA and QQQ in the same category?
- ITA is a thematic ETF and QQQ is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, ITA or QQQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ITA returned −4.3% and QQQ +15.2%.
- Which is cheaper, ITA or QQQ?
- QQQ is cheaper, by 0.19 percentage points a year. That is about $19 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, ITA against QQQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ita-vs-qqq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ITA against QQQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ita-vs-qqq
[ITA against QQQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ita-vs-qqq)
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