SPY vs QQQ Backtest

Name: SPY vs QQQ Backtest
Creator: ArthaPilot

Side-by-side historical backtest of SPY (S&P 500) against QQQ (Nasdaq-100) over the same period.

Backtest window: 1999-03-10 to 2026-06-05 (shared period across both portfolios). Results as of 2026-06-05.

Assumptions

100% SPY: 100% SPY, rebalanced annually.
100% QQQ: 100% QQQ, rebalanced annually.
Total-return prices (dividends reinvested), annual rebalancing, no taxes, fees, or cash flows.

Results

Portfolio	CAGR	Max drawdown	Volatility	Sharpe	Sortino	Calmar
100% SPY	8.5%	-55.2%	19.3%	0.41	0.59	0.15
100% QQQ	10.8%	-83.0%	26.9%	0.44	0.63	0.13

Growth of $10,000

■ 100% SPY ■ 100% QQQ

Run it yourself

Open this exact allocation in the live Portfolio Backtest tool to change the date range, add cash flows, compare against other portfolios, or switch on tax-aware mode. Free to run, no sign-up required.

Open 100% SPY in the backtester Open 100% QQQ in the backtester

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Historical simulation computed by the ArthaPilot backtest engine with total-return (dividends reinvested) prices and annual rebalancing, before taxes and fees. Past performance does not predict future results. This page is educational and is not investment, tax, or legal advice.