# QQEW ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What QQEW holds, its 0.55% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

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](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.55% a year (about $55 on $10,000).
- Started trading on April 19, 2006.
- Worst drop since 2006: −58.2%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## 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.

| Fact | QQEW |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | First Trust Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight ETF |
| Issuer | First Trust |
| Expense ratio | 0.55% a year |
| Started trading | April 19, 2006 |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight Index |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 50 holdings as of October 16, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 17, 2026 on the [First Trust fund page](https://www.ftportfolios.com/Retail/Etf/EtfSummary.aspx?Ticker=QQEW) |

## 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.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## How has QQEW done since 2006?

From May 2006 to October 2026, QQEW returned about 11.2% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $87,227 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | QQEW |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 772.3% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 11.2% |
| Worst drop from a high | −58.2% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 21.5% |
| Last 12 months | 10.1% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 14.1% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 6.8% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 13.8% |

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 year

| Year | QQEW return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | 8.8% |
| 2025 | 14.2% |
| 2024 | 7.0% |
| 2023 | 33.3% |
| 2022 | −24.6% |
| 2021 | 17.8% |
| 2020 | 37.3% |
| 2019 | 35.9% |
| 2018 | −5.3% |
| 2017 | 26.0% |
| 2016 | 7.1% |
| 2015 | 2.1% |
| 2014 | 19.1% |
| 2013 | 39.9% |
| 2012 | 15.1% |
| 2011 | −2.8% |
| 2010 | 20.8% |
| 2009 | 58.9% |
| 2008 | −43.6% |
| 2007 | 9.6% |
| 2006 (part of the year) | 2.8% |

## 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.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold QQEW?

No classic strategy holds QQEW 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 QQEW compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for QQEW:

- [QQQM](https://tactfolio.com/etf/qqqm.md): Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF, 0.15% a year
- [QQQ](https://tactfolio.com/etf/qqq.md): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, 0.18% a year
- [ONEQ](https://tactfolio.com/etf/oneq.md): Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index ETF, 0.21% a year
- [XLK](https://tactfolio.com/etf/xlk.md): State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF, 0.08% a year

See [all 8 QQEW alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/qqew.md), 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](https://tactfolio.com/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. 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.

Fund facts come from First Trust. 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 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.

### Which strategies use QQEW?

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

## Sources

- [First Trust: First Trust Nasdaq-100 Select Equal Weight ETF fund page](https://www.ftportfolios.com/Retail/Etf/EtfSummary.aspx?Ticker=QQEW)

> 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.