First Trust Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight ETF (QQEW)
$154.66−3.09%close of Oct 16, 2026
First Trust Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight ETF (QQEW) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by First Trust. This fund picks 50 companies from the Nasdaq-100 that score well on growth and profits. It charges 0.55% a year. From May 2006 to October 2026 it returned about 11.2% a year, and its worst drop was −58.2%.
Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.
- Yearly fee
- 0.55%
- about $55 on $10,000
- 1-year return
- 10.1%
- to Oct 16, 2026
- Return per year
- 11.2%
- since May 2006
- Worst drop
- −58.2%
- since 2006
- Below its high
- −7.4%
- now
- Volatility
- 21.5%
- yearly swings
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Tracks
- Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight Index
- Started trading
- April 19, 2006
- Type
- US stocks, ETF
- Holdings
- 50 holdings as of October 16, 2026
- Expense ratio
- 0.55% a year
How has QQEW done since 2006?#
From May 2006 to October 2026, QQEW returned about 11.2% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 11.0% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $87,227 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Period | QQEW | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −0.9% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | −1.0% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 14.5% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 8.8% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 10.1% | 16.8% |
| 3 years per year | 14.1% | 22.0% |
| 5 years per year | 6.8% | 12.8% |
| 10 years per year | 13.8% | 15.4% |
| Since 2006 per year | 11.2% | 11.0% |
Periods longer than a year show the return per year (CAGR). Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.
QQEW returns by month and year#
QQEW rose in 147 of its 246 months (60%). Its best month was April 2009, at 14.6%. Its worst was October 2008, at −22.7%.
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8.8% | −2.1 | −3.6 | −5.3 | 8.2 | 13.7 | 2.2 | −2.7 | 6.3 | −1.4 | −5.0 | ||
| 2025 | 14.2% | 4.8 | −1.4 | −6.2 | 0.6 | 7.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | −0.3 | 3.8 | 2.1 | −1.5 | 0.3 |
| 2024 | 7.0% | 0.7 | 3.9 | 1.0 | −5.4 | 2.8 | 2.5 | −0.3 | 1.2 | 1.0 | −1.4 | 6.3 | −4.9 |
| 2023 | 33.3% | 9.5 | −1.2 | 5.0 | −2.0 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 4.9 | −3.1 | −4.1 | −4.7 | 10.6 | 7.5 |
| 2022 | −24.6% | −9.1 | −3.0 | 2.8 | −10.6 | −0.9 | −8.0 | 10.6 | −4.5 | −9.2 | 6.0 | 7.4 | −6.6 |
| 2021 | 17.8% | −0.4 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 3.6 | −0.1 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 2.3 | −4.9 | 5.4 | −1.8 | 2.9 |
| 2020 | 37.3% | 0.0 | −5.5 | −10.6 | 13.2 | 8.8 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 6.0 | −3.0 | −2.0 | 13.8 | 4.8 |
| 2019 | 35.9% | 11.5 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 4.9 | −8.8 | 8.6 | 1.6 | −2.7 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| 2018 | −5.3% | 7.4 | −3.0 | −2.3 | −0.8 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 3.2 | 2.2 | −0.3 | −8.6 | 3.1 | −8.7 |
| 2017 | 26.0% | 5.9 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 3.2 | −1.1 | 2.7 | −0.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.9 |
| 2016 | 7.1% | −8.3 | 0.3 | 6.0 | −2.2 | 4.0 | −2.3 | 7.0 | 0.9 | 1.3 | −1.8 | 2.9 | 0.1 |
| 2015 | 2.1% | −3.3 | 7.7 | −1.7 | 0.8 | 2.0 | −2.9 | 2.3 | −6.7 | −3.6 | 9.0 | 0.5 | −1.0 |
| 2014 | 19.1% | −1.6 | 7.3 | −3.1 | −1.8 | 3.8 | 3.6 | −0.6 | 4.7 | −1.2 | 3.1 | 5.0 | −0.9 |
| 2013 | 39.9% | 6.4 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 1.9 | 3.2 | −1.5 | 7.1 | −1.4 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 3.7 |
| 2012 | 15.1% | 9.5 | 4.3 | 2.8 | −1.8 | −8.7 | 3.6 | −1.0 | 3.7 | 1.5 | −3.5 | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| 2011 | −2.8% | 2.4 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.8 | −0.4 | −2.0 | −3.1 | −6.0 | −7.4 | 12.0 | −2.7 | −1.9 |
| 2010 | 20.8% | −5.5 | 5.5 | 6.6 | 2.7 | −7.6 | −6.8 | 8.0 | −5.0 | 12.8 | 5.1 | 0.3 | 5.2 |
| 2009 | 58.9% | −4.6 | −5.0 | 12.4 | 14.6 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 10.5 | 2.5 | 8.0 | −5.0 | 5.1 | 6.4 |
| 2008 | −43.6% | −8.0 | −4.5 | −0.9 | 6.8 | 5.5 | −10.6 | −0.5 | 0.9 | −11.7 | −22.7 | −12.4 | 7.2 |
| 2007 | 9.6% | 2.3 | −0.7 | −0.4 | 5.7 | 2.5 | 0.1 | −0.4 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 2.6 | −6.7 | −1.7 |
| 2006 | 2.8% | −5.7 | −0.4 | −6.1 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 4.6 | −1.3 |
Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.
How risky is QQEW compared with the S&P 500?#
Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.
- Beta 1.15. When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, QQEW tended to move about 1.15%.
- Correlation 0.93. QQEW mostly moved with the S&P 500.
- Up and down months. In months the S&P 500 rose, QQEW rose 92% as much on average. In months it fell, QQEW fell 118% as much.
| Measure | QQEW | S&P 500 (SPY) |
|---|---|---|
| Return per year | 6.7% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 21.2% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −32.1% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.41 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.59 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.21 | 0.52 |
Volatility is how much the price swings in a year. The Sharpe ratio is return per unit of volatility, the Sortino ratio counts only the falls, and the Calmar ratio is the return per year over the worst drop. Higher ratios mean more return for the risk taken.
Is QQEW above its 200-day average?#
QQEW closed 4.6% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds QQEW only above that average would hold it today.
- vs 200-day average
- +4.6%
- above it
- 50-day vs 200-day
- +9.7%
- trend rising
- vs 52-week high
- −7.4%
- high of $167.03
A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as the 10-month moving average strategy hold a fund only while it is above one. You can build that rule for QQEW and backtest it in a minute.
What was QQEW’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. QQEW’s worst fall was −58.2%, from October 12, 2007 to November 20, 2008. It got back to that high on January 5, 2011. On October 16, 2026 it was 7.4% below its highest close.
| Drop | From the high | To the bottom | Back to the high |
|---|---|---|---|
| −58.2% | Oct 12, 2007 | Nov 20, 200813 months | Jan 5, 20112.1 years |
| −32.1% | Nov 16, 2021 | Oct 14, 202211 months | Jan 22, 202415 months |
| −30.8% | Feb 19, 2020 | Mar 20, 202030 days | Jun 5, 20203 months |
| −21.4% | Feb 18, 2025 | Apr 8, 20252 months | Jun 30, 20253 months |
| −20.9% | May 12, 2011 | Oct 3, 20115 months | Feb 16, 20124 months |
Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
What does QQEW hold?#
This fund picks 50 companies from the Nasdaq-100 that score well on growth and profits. It gives each company about the same weight. Most of the fund is in technology, so it can rise and fall a lot.
It tracks the Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight Index. It had 50 holdings as of October 16, 2026, according to First Trust.
What is the QQEW expense ratio?#
QQEW charges 0.55% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.55% fee comes to about $55 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 9% charge more.
You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.
Which Tactfolio strategies hold QQEW?#
No classic strategy holds QQEW yet. You can add it to your own rules in the builder and see how they would have done.
How does QQEW compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for QQEW:
- QQQM: Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF, 0.15% a year
- QQQ: Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, 0.18% a year
- ONEQ: Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index ETF, 0.21% a year
- XLK: State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year
See all 8 QQEW alternatives, compared on the same dates as QQEW.
Test QQEW in your own rules#
Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add QQEW, and see how a rule such as “hold it only above its 200-day average” would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.
The details#
Prices come from Tactfolio’s stored daily prices for QQEW and SPY. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns. Beta and correlation compare daily returns with the S&P 500 over the same dates.
Fund facts come from First Trust. We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.
Common questions#
What is the expense ratio of QQEW?#
QQEW charges 0.55% a year, according to First Trust as of October 17, 2026. That is about $55 a year for every $10,000 you hold.
When did QQEW start trading?#
QQEW started trading on April 19, 2006. It is run by First Trust.
What does QQEW track?#
QQEW tracks the Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight Index. This fund picks 50 companies from the Nasdaq-100 that score well on growth and profits.
How much has QQEW returned per year?#
From May 2006 to October 2026, QQEW returned about 11.2% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −58.2%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Is QQEW above its 200-day moving average?#
On October 16, 2026, QQEW closed 4.6% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.
Which strategies use QQEW?#
None of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold QQEW yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.