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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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PQOC vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PQOC returned +12.1% to QQQ's +15.2%, and QQQ charges 0.18% to PQOC's 0.50%.

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Net assets: $30m on Oct 28, 2026 for PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - October, and $483.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1.

PQOC on its own →QQQ on its own →
At a glance
+12.1%
PQOC total return, 1 year
+15.2%
QQQ total return, 1 year
0.50%
PQOC expense ratio
0.18%
QQQ expense ratio

Pair scorecard

QQQ costs 0.32 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.1 points; QQQ is far larger, $483.0bn against $29m.

PQOC vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasurePQOCQQQ
Return
Total return, 1 year+12.1%+15.2%
Drawdown
Below its high4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksQQQNasdaq-100 Index
The outcome period
Room to the cap22.0%
Buffer left, in index points10.1% of 12.0%
Days left in the period337
Period endsSep 30, 2027
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.50%0.18%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026$29m$483.0bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight96%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund46.7%

Method

Side by side

PQOC PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - October QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
Where it sits Buffer ETF Stock ETF
Issuer PGIM Invesco
What it is Defined outcome, 12% on QQQ Tracks the Nasdaq-100
Total return, 1 year +12.1% +15.2%
Its benchmark over the same days +14.6% (QQQ) +15.2% (QQQM)
Gap to its benchmark −2.5 pts vs QQQ 0.0 pts vs QQQM
Expense ratio 0.50% 0.18%
Holdings not read by ETFIQ 103
Net assets, PQOC as of Oct 28, 2026 and QQQ as of Oct 27, 2026 $30m $483.0bn

PQOC and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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About each fund
PQOC

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 22.0% more before it reaches its cap. Protection left, in index points: 10.1% of the 12.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 337 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On Sep 30, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

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 PQOC and QQQ in the same category?
PQOC is a buffer 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, PQOC or QQQ?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PQOC returned +12.1% and QQQ +15.2%.
Which is cheaper, PQOC or QQQ?
QQQ is cheaper, by 0.32 percentage points a year. That is about $32 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
PQOC vs QQQMNJAN vs QQQQQMY vs QQQQMY vs QQQQQJL vs QQQQMAR vs QQQQQJN vs QQQQJN vs QQQ
Where to next
PQOC on its own →QQQ on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →PQOC dividend history →QQQ dividend history →QQQ holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
PQOC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
PGIM website ↗
QQQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
QQQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Invesco page for QQQ ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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ETFIQ, PQOC against QQQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pqoc-vs-qqq

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