Which returned more over the last year, QCJA or QQQ?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QCJA returned +11.7% and QQQ returned +23.0%, so QQQ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, QCJA or QQQ?

QCJA charges 0.90% a year and QQQ charges 0.18%, so QQQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are QCJA and QQQ the same kind of fund?

No. QCJA is a buffer ETF and QQQ is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

QCJA vs QQQ: how they differ

Over the year QQQ returned more, +23.0% against +11.7%, and QQQ charges 0.18% against 0.90%.

FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Conservative Buffer ETF - January and Invesco QQQ Trust.

QCJA and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	QCJA FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Conservative Buffer ETF - January	QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust
Where it sits	Buffer ETF	Core index fund
Issuer	First Trust	Invesco
What it is	Defined outcome, 20% on QQQ	Nasdaq-100
Total return, 1 year	+11.7%	+23.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+23.0%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−11.3 pts	+5.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.90%	0.18%
Holdings	not filed	105

QCJA in plain words

QQQ had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.1% for the period on Sep 13, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 3.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 7.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 13.1% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 126 days remained on Sep 13, 2026. On Jan 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

QQQ in plain words

QQQ 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 0.18% 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 105 positions, with the top ten at 47.0%. 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, QCJA or QQQ?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QCJA returned +11.7% and QQQ returned +23.0%, so QQQ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, QCJA or QQQ?: QCJA charges 0.90% a year and QQQ charges 0.18%, so QQQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are QCJA and QQQ the same kind of fund?: No. QCJA is a buffer ETF and QQQ is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

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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.

QCJA against QQQ, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, QCJA against QQQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qcja-vs-qqq Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources