# QUAL ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What QUAL holds, its 0.15% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by iShares (BlackRock). This fund owns large and medium sized US companies with strong profits, steady earnings and low debt. It charges 0.15% a year. From July 2013 to October 2026 it returned about 13.6% a year, and its worst drop was −34.1%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.15% a year (about $15 on $10,000).
- Started trading on July 16, 2013.
- Last close: $224.93 on October 16, 2026.
- Return over the last year: 18.1%.
- Worst drop since 2013: −34.1%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## How has QUAL done since 2013?

From July 2013 to October 2026, QUAL returned about 13.6% a year. The S&P 500 returned about 14.0% a year over the same dates. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $54,193 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Period | QUAL | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month | 3.5% | 1.5% |
| 3 months | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| 6 months | 10.5% | 9.3% |
| Year to date | 13.9% | 12.8% |
| 1 year | 18.1% | 16.8% |
| 3 years, per year | 19.4% | 22.0% |
| 5 years, per year | 11.7% | 12.8% |
| 10 years, per year | 14.6% | 15.4% |
| Since 2013, per year | 13.6% | 14.0% |

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.

## QUAL returns by month and year

QUAL rose in 105 of its 160 months (66%). Its best month was April 2020, at 12.3%. Its worst was March 2020, at −11.4%.

| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Full year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 (part) | 1.9% | 1.2% | −6.2% | 8.1% | 4.0% | 2.0% | −0.1% | 1.5% | 0.0% | 1.2% |  |  | 13.9% |
| 2025 | 3.0% | −1.0% | −5.7% | −0.9% | 4.5% | 3.5% | 0.7% | 2.6% | 3.2% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 12.7% |
| 2024 | 2.3% | 6.5% | 2.8% | −4.5% | 5.6% | 3.2% | 0.6% | 3.5% | 1.2% | −1.6% | 5.0% | −3.6% | 22.3% |
| 2023 | 7.1% | −2.8% | 4.8% | 1.7% | 0.7% | 6.4% | 3.8% | −0.4% | −5.1% | −1.5% | 8.6% | 4.7% | 30.9% |
| 2022 | −7.0% | −4.1% | 4.0% | −8.3% | −0.2% | −9.0% | 9.2% | −5.1% | −9.8% | 8.3% | 7.7% | −5.6% | −20.5% |
| 2021 | −2.8% | 3.2% | 5.0% | 4.8% | 1.0% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.8% | −6.5% | 7.7% | −0.6% | 3.5% | 26.9% |
| 2020 | −0.7% | −8.3% | −11.4% | 12.3% | 5.6% | 0.2% | 5.0% | 6.9% | −3.1% | −2.6% | 11.3% | 3.7% | 17.0% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | 4.4% | 2.5% | 3.8% | −6.6% | 7.1% | 1.4% | −1.8% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 4.5% | 2.8% | 33.9% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | −2.9% | −1.3% | −1.3% | 2.7% | 0.0% | 3.7% | 3.7% | 1.1% | −7.6% | 0.9% | −8.5% | −5.7% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | 4.7% | −0.1% | 0.6% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 0.5% | 2.6% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 1.3% | 22.3% |
| 2016 | −4.6% | 0.6% | 5.9% | −0.4% | 1.1% | 0.5% | 3.0% | −0.2% | −0.1% | −2.0% | 3.0% | 2.0% | 8.7% |
| 2015 | −1.7% | 6.0% | −1.6% | 0.2% | 1.5% | −1.8% | 2.9% | −5.4% | −1.3% | 8.6% | 0.4% | −1.7% | 5.5% |
| 2014 | −4.2% | 4.9% | −0.5% | 0.8% | 2.3% | 0.6% | −0.8% | 4.3% | −0.8% | 2.7% | 2.3% | −0.6% | 11.3% |
| 2013 (part) |  |  |  |  |  |  | −0.1% | −2.1% | 3.8% | 4.9% | 4.1% | 2.3% | 13.5% |

Each month runs from the last close of the month before. The first month counts from the first close.

## How risky is QUAL compared with the S&P 500?

Measured from October 2021 to October 2026, on the days both traded.

- **Beta 0.98.** When the S&P 500 moved 1% in a day, QUAL tended to move about 0.98%.
- **Correlation 0.98.** QUAL mostly moved with the S&P 500.
- **Up and down months.** In months the S&P 500 rose, QUAL rose 97% as much on average. In months it fell, QUAL fell 101% as much.

| Measure | QUAL | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Return per year | 11.6% | 12.8% |
| Volatility | 17.3% | 17.1% |
| Worst drop | −28.2% | −24.5% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.72 | 0.79 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.05 | 1.15 |
| Calmar ratio | 0.41 | 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 QUAL above its 200-day average?

QUAL closed 6.7% above its 200-day average on October 16, 2026. A rule that holds QUAL only above that average would hold it today.

- Its 50-day average is 5.9% above its 200-day average.
- It closed 1.2% below its highest close of the last 52 weeks.

A moving average is the average close over the last so many days. Trend rules such as [the 10-month moving average strategy](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/faber-10-month-moving-average.md) hold a fund only while it is above one. You can [build that rule for QUAL](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and backtest it in a minute.

## What was QUAL's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. QUAL's worst fall was −34.1%, from February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on August 12, 2020. On October 16, 2026 it was 1.2% below its highest close.

| Drop | Started | Bottom | Back to the high | Fall took | Recovery took |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −34.1% | Feb 19, 2020 | Mar 23, 2020 | Aug 12, 2020 | 33 days | 5 months |
| −28.2% | Dec 29, 2021 | Oct 14, 2022 | Dec 11, 2023 | 9 months | 14 months |
| −20.5% | Sep 21, 2018 | Dec 24, 2018 | Apr 5, 2019 | 3 months | 3 months |
| −18.0% | Dec 4, 2024 | Apr 8, 2025 | Jul 23, 2025 | 4 months | 3 months |
| −11.5% | Jul 20, 2015 | Aug 25, 2015 | Oct 28, 2015 | 36 days | 2 months |

Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## What does QUAL hold?

This fund owns large and medium sized US companies with strong profits, steady earnings and low debt. It keeps its mix of industries close to the overall market. Its value still goes up and down with US stocks.

It tracks the MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index. It had 118 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to iShares (BlackRock).

| Fact | QUAL |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF |
| Issuer | iShares (BlackRock) |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% a year |
| Started trading | July 16, 2013 |
| Tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 118 holdings as of October 15, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 17, 2026 on the [iShares (BlackRock) fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/256101/ishares-msci-usa-quality-factor-etf) |

## What is the QUAL expense ratio?

QUAL charges 0.15% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.15% fee comes to about $15 a year. Of the 162 ETFs on Tactfolio, 42% 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 QUAL?

No classic strategy holds QUAL yet. You can add it to your own rules in the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and see how they would have done.

## How does QUAL compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for QUAL:

- [USMV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/USMV.md): iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF, 0.15% a year
- [SPYM](https://tactfolio.com/etf/SPYM.md): State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF, 0.02% a year
- [IVV](https://tactfolio.com/etf/IVV.md): iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, 0.03% a year
- [VOO](https://tactfolio.com/etf/VOO.md): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, 0.03% a year

See [all 8 QUAL alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/QUAL.md), compared on the same dates as QUAL.

## Test QUAL 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](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add QUAL, 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 QUAL 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 iShares (BlackRock). We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [S&P 500 index](https://tactfolio.com/learn/sp500-index): The S&P 500 tracks about 500 large US companies. Learn how stocks get in, how the index is weighted, how to invest in it, and how far it has fallen before.
- [What is an ETF](https://tactfolio.com/learn/what-is-an-etf): An ETF is a fund that trades like a stock. Learn how ETFs work, what they cost, the main types, and the risks, with SEC sources.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of QUAL?

QUAL charges 0.15% a year, according to iShares (BlackRock) as of October 17, 2026. That is about $15 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did QUAL start trading?

QUAL started trading on July 16, 2013. It is run by iShares (BlackRock).

### What does QUAL track?

QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index. This fund owns large and medium sized US companies with strong profits, steady earnings and low debt.

### How much has QUAL returned per year?

From July 2013 to October 2026, QUAL returned about 13.6% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −34.1%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Is QUAL above its 200-day moving average?

On October 16, 2026, QUAL closed 6.7% above its 200-day moving average. This page updates after each US market close.

### Which strategies use QUAL?

None of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold QUAL yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

## Sources

- [iShares (BlackRock): iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/256101/ishares-msci-usa-quality-factor-etf)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.