NULG vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
NULG and QQQ hold 26% of their weight in the same names, and QQQ returned +17.9% over the year. Net assets: $2.7bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF, and $484.7bn on Oct 20, 2026 for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1.
QQQ costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.4 points.
| NULG | QQQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.26% | 0.18% |
| Net assets, NULG as of Jul 31, 2026 and QQQ as of Oct 20, 2026 | $2.7bn | $484.7bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +11.5% | +17.9% |
| What it tracks | Nuveen ESG USA Large-Cap Growth Index | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Holdings in common | 26% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.0% | 47.2% |
| Below its high | 6.1%, high on Aug 13, 2026 | 5.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 19, 2026.
NULG and QQQ are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. NULG follows Nuveen ESG USA Large-Cap Growth Index and QQQ follows Nasdaq-100 Index.
- Holdings in common. 26% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 19, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 20, 2026 NULG returned +11.5% and QQQ +17.9% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.4 points.
Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
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What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, NULG and QQQ hold 26% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 19, 2026.
half
26% in common
On the same fields
NULG and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About NULG
NULG tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +11.5% with distributions reinvested, against +15.5% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.26% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 94% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 69 positions, with the top ten at 44.0%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Oct 20, 2026.
About QQQ
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +17.9% with distributions reinvested, against +18.0% 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 19, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 103 positions, with the top ten at 47.2%. It sat 5.5% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 20, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, NULG or QQQ?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, NULG returned +11.5% and QQQ +17.9%.
- Which is cheaper, NULG or QQQ?
- QQQ is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, NULG against QQQ, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/nulg-vs-qqq
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). NULG against QQQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/nulg-vs-qqq
[NULG against QQQ (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/nulg-vs-qqq)
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